Carved Glass
by LionRoaR
Summary: Slade gives the Titans an eerie warning to trust no one, that he has an apprentice once again. Then one day a Titan meets a young girl who is haunted by painful memories. What is her connection to Slade? And will the Titans be able to save her in time?
1. The Apprentice, The Prisoner

_(Author's Note: I do not own Teen Titans, superheroes, or busses. However, I do claim credit for my plot and OCS! Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!)_

** .:Chapter One:.**

** An Apprentice, A Prisoner**

The sound of crumbling earth filled the air. A huge beast, resembling a giant piece of stone, roared to the heavens as it raised its arms and chanted its victory. Around it, the remains of buildings and automobiles lay in ruins. People were fleeing in terror from the frightening creature, their screams filling the air. Standing at the top of one building was a dark figure - a man with a mask half bronze, half black. His one visible eye stared with little expression, though there was a confidence about him that suggested he was enjoying the spectacle. Suddenly a burst of green flew through the air, striking the beast on the neck. It roared in fury, turning to meet those foolish enough to take on its massive power. Three objects, surrounded by a dark aura, seemed to fling themselves at the stone-beast. It flung its arm out to batter the busses away, its empty black eyes searching. And then it saw her - floating in midair with her arms raised out, her hands surrounded by that same black aura that the busses had possessed. The beast growled as it approached her, but another girl, red-haired with glowing green eyes, flew from the beast's left and struck him with another green burst. The masked man's eye narrowed and he hunched his shoulders forward, almost like a predator in sight of his prey.

"The time is coming." He said softly, one finger pressed against a small device at his ear. There was a soft buzz, and then a quiet sound, like a voice, but drained of all inflection and passion.

_"Yes, master,"_ it said. The man straightened, holding up a small dark orb. It rose into the air and a small lens appeared in its side, like an unblinking eye. It hovered towards the stone-beast just as a shot of pure blue blazed forth from the mechanical arm of a tall, stout man. Beside him, a masked boy stood, his face upturned to look at his foe. At his right was the mechanical man. At his left was a green lion, crouching, ready to attack.

"Teen Titans, go!" The boy called, rushing forward. The team, consisting of two girls and three boys, seemed to move forward in a wave. Their actions were quick, fluid, well-practiced. Yes, these were the Teen Titans. The black orb flew towards them slowly but surely. The masked man pressed his finger to the device at his ear.

"Can you operate from where you are?" He asked in a low, menacing voice.

_"I can try," _came the monotonous, quiet voice from before. As they were speaking, the black orb stopped just behind the monster. It glowed softly, a sparkling, mirror-like aura surrounding it. The mechanical-man let out a loud yell as he leaped into the air and poised himself to strike the stone-beast. Suddenly the glimmering aura shot forth and surrounded both the man and the beast. His hand made contact with a horrible screeching noise, and he fell back, his glowing blue mechanical arm broken as if it had been a twig struck against an impenetrable wall. The aura faded, leaving five stunned teenagers, a furious stone-beast, and the masked man, watching with a satisfied look in his half-visible eye.

"Good work," he said, his tone filled with velvet. There was a moment of silence. In that moment, the screams of children and innocent people filled the air, along with the mechanical man's cries as surges of pain went up his shoulder, into his real body. The masked man frowned as suddenly the mechanical man quieted, staring at his arm with a confused expression. The glistening aura had returned, softer now. The green lion had transformed into a rhinoceros and charged forward. The aura surrounded him and the stone-beast. This time, when the rhino made contact there was a huge splitting crack! as the stone-beast fell apart, its roars dying out as it crumbled into dust. The masked man cried out in fury, his eye wide.

"You insolent...!"

_"Slade."_ The man turned to see the black-haired, masked boy was looking at him evenly, his expression hard to read.

"Robin." The masked man said in a calm, deep voice.

"So you were behind this. I should have guessed that thing was one of your minions."

"I have many _minions," _Slade said gently, his one eye narrowing, "Some of which would rival even my most _well known _apprentice." He saw the anger his words stirred up in the green boy that had landed at Robin's side. Slade chuckled softly as the black orb settled on his palm.

"And you'd best keep a lookout," he said as he suddenly was whisked away by the breeze, leaving nothing but a faint shimmer like snow-dusted glass, "Or else who knows how much _more_ you will suffer?"

** .~/^/~.**

"I tell ya, man," Beast Boy said, fiddling with his slice of pizza, "That Slade is _crazy."_

"What else is new?" Cyborg muttered, glaring down at his arm as if his mere stare would cause the pieces to fall back together again. Robin said nothing as he stared down at his plate.

"Are you not hungry, Robin?" Starfire asked. He started and looked up into her beautiful, worried face. Her eyes, like glowing emeralds, percieved his emotions and he could feel her understanding like a peaceful breeze against his soul. She took his hand in hers and her warmth helped to comfort him, despite his misgivings about their earlier confrontation.

"I'm just worried about what Slade said," Robin sighed. "If he really _was _talking about Terra," here he eyed Beast Boy waring, though the green boy gave no sign of distress, "Then we might have reason to think he's training a new unsuspecting person."

"Slade knows how to get into people's heads and force them to do his will," Raven murmured, taking a bite of pizza with a contemplative look on her face. She eyed him for a moment and then sighed, setting the food down as she stared emotionlessly out at the glimmering waters before them.

"Do you really think he could be training someone else?" Beast Boy asked quietly. Robin met his gaze and knew that the possibility was hard for all of them to think of. Terra's cruel fate had struck them all deeply, although Beast Boy had never been quite the same after that. He was smiling and as rambunctious as ever. On the outside. But Robin didn't need Raven to look inside of Beast Boy as she had once looked inside of him to know the pain he felt whenever he passed her school, heard her mentioned. Robin could see it, as plain as day, on his friend's face. Now, the possibility of suffering a similar event seemed to plague him. He knew as well as anyone that Slade's threats were rarely ever empty.

"It's very possible," Robin sighed.

"What should we do?" Starfire asked, looking from one to the other. Cyborg sighed as he tightened some bolts on his arm with a scewdriver.

"Something," he said sternly. "Slade did something - or at least, _someone _did. Did you see how my hand broke when I punched that thing, but Beast Boy shattered it to pieces? I don't think that's a coincidence." The teenagers looked around at each other in silent agreement.

"Then we should be on the lookout," Robin said.

"For what?" Starfire inquired. There was an uncomfortable pause, filled with the sound of city life; the hum of cars in the busy streets, the soft noise of a thousand voices filling the air, the barking of dogs, the fluttering of paper in the wind. Robin turned his face away from them, staring off into the horizon.

"Anything," he sighed at last, leaving them all aware of how little they knew. Raven watched the others before turning back to her food. She stared down at it until finally she noticed it. A feeling. The tingling feeling that reminded her of Terra's presence, after she'd been completely taken in with Slade. Her eyes turned hastily to the streets, but she saw nothing.

"What is it, Raven?" Robin asked.

"I hardly know," she said, her eyes narrowing, "But I agree that something's going on. And I don't like it, whatever it is."

** .-~.*.~-.**

The cold feeling of stone scraping painfully against my face was nothing new. The bruises were almost a comfort, showing me how much my pain was felt by the only friend I had. _Me._ The pain in my side that seared through my body like wildfire was a familiar, dreaded feeling. I coughed weakly, staring down at the splatters of blood knowing that nothing I could say or do would make up for what I'd done this time. I may as well be dead, he'd told me. But this, too, was familiar.

"Can't you do _anything_ right? We _had_ them! If you would have done as you were told it would have been the end of the Teen Titans!" He cried.

"I'm s-sorry, master..." I said pitifully, knowing that my words would only enrage him more. Silence angered him. Words angered him. Nothing I could do would ever convince my master that I was worthy to be his apprentice. And I was no longer innocent or naive enough to think that that was what I was in his eyes. I was no apprentice. I was a prisoner.

"Sorry! _Sorry!" _He shrieked, sending a boot into my side. I screamed in agony as the pain filled me, burning, pulsing agony. I clutched my side, staring through my tears at the black orb that hovered at his shoulder, looking like a dark spider with its wicked legs poised and its red eye staring at me. My tormentor. A robot without feelings. My eyes flit back to my master. That made two of them.

"You'll be sorry when I'm done with you, _girl." _Master threatened, throwing his foot into my side once more before he left the room, his angry strides echoing down the chambers of his home and lair. Looking up through wild, untidy bangs of hair dark enough to be of indiscernible color in the darkness of my cell, I stared up at my only ounce of freedom - a small barred window far, far above my head. Tears filled my eyes. How many years had I been locked here, starved, beaten, bruised? How many memories haunted my mind, warning me of what suffering lay in wait if I ever attempted escape. I closed my eyes as the fire pulsed through me. It was radiating, painful, and I could feel its source. I could feel it. Did that mean...? I'd scarcely let myself hope over the years of studying the "bond" my master had placed on me. But now, it was almost as if I could taste freedom on my tongue. I placed my hand on my side, breathing through my mouth as blood dripped down from my broken nose. I frowned in concentration, feeling every ache, sting, and throb. And then, suddenly, the great fire that pulsed through me was gone. I sighed in relief, resting my head against the stone. It took most of my energy to keep the bond from existing. But it would be worth it. It would be worth it if I could see the sun, the sky, the fields. It would be worth it if I didn't have to fear anymore. It would be worth it if I finally could see them again.

Taking my chains up in my hand, I gazed at them with all the strength I had left. They shimmered like glass for a moment and then fell to the floor with a soft clang. I stared at them and then at the window. My heart seemed to soar as I thought of it - sunlight on my face for the first time in so long. I turned and looked at the wall I'd slept against so many nights. Scars ran through the rock, showing hundreds, thousands of days. An endless time that had passed in agony, knowing that I had fallen beyond redemption, that I would never taste the air and breeze on my tongue again unless I gave in to the evil desires of my master. And I wouldn't do that. A face appeared in my mind, kind and loving as it bent towards me and whispered in my ear... _"You are meant to help people. You will be a hero, and you will be loved."_ I closed my eyes and sighed, ever so softly. Then I turned my gaze to the window. I knew well enough that I would never be a hero. I would never find love, except the love that left nothing but hurt and terrible loneliness in its wake. But there was one thing I craved that I would never... _never _give up on. It was the one dream that had given my life any meaning, the one thing I held onto as I suffered in silence. And as I climbed towards that window, it was all I could think about. My unreachable dream. I would finally touch it, taste it as if it were the sweetest fruit, feel it as if it were the hands of a lover. I would climb, and I would go on... To hope. To life.

To_ freedom._

_

* * *

_

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of _Carved Glass. _Please review! I would love to hear from each and every one of my readers :)

-LionRoaR


	2. Wings

_(Author's Note: I do not own Teen Titans, the characters of the show, or robots. Thanks for reading and enjoy!)_

**Carved Glass**

**.:Chapter Two:.**

**Wings**

The streets were cold, damp. Walls rose up around me, as unmoving and dark as my cell walls had been. There were no voices that I could hear, except for the odd gruff-sounding mumble. I couldn't even see the sky because the clouds were so thick and grey. The sound of cars, which I had thought would be strong, was a weak hum only. I took a deep breath, tasting nothing but stale air, as the lonesome fluttering of a paper bag mournfully filled my ears. I felt a chill run up my spine as I looked over my shoulder at the small window. Far below this place my master sat, unsuspecting that I had escaped. For now. I turned away and ran down the alley. My feet splashed against the tar, creating a steady beat in the near silence of the ghetto. _Step, step, step, step…_

The outside world was not what I had expected it to be. I felt as if a weight were pressing on my chest – though I was sure it was from suppressing the bond instead of disappointment that this place was what I had dreamed to see. How pathetic my dream seemed to me now, staring up at the cloudy sky and wondering why I couldn't see any blue. That color was what had filled my nights and caused my heart to ache with longing. Now, it was covered up with grey. A suited trait I suppose. What more could _I _wish for? My entire life had been grey. Not black. There had been good times, long ago, and those memories were what kept me going. Never white. The very ache in my body and soul told me that. Grey. _Grey, grey, grey…_

A black cat ran across a nearby alley. It stopped and looked at me steadily with its eerie yellow eyes. I stared back, surprised by its appearance. I bared its teeth at me and then continued on its way, silver sliding across its ebony body as it disappeared into the shadows. I wrung my hands nervously, feeling small and vulnerable in this wide world. Perhaps I should have stayed in my small but relatively safe cell. At least there I knew what to be a afraid of. Here, I could hardly even guess.

I rounded a corner and found myself facing two men. I froze, not knowing what to do. I couldn't risk a confrontation _now. _I shrank back, my hand going to my side instinctively. Perhaps it was because I'd only ever known – or perhaps I could only remember – men who hurt me and used me. I trembled a bit as one of the figures turned to look my way. He was a grungy person, with shrewd narrow eyes and a big dark beard. The other man didn't look away from the wall across from where he sat. He had a long, sallow face and pale greenish eyes. His brown hair hung in wet strands down his face. He seemed to have an empty sort of stare that wasn't focused on anything. Maybe he was lost in thought? It seemed unlikely, as he turned his face slightly at the sound of my approach.

"Hey, look what we have here." The dark man said, smirking at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. I clenched my fists, squared my shoulders, and hoped to sound convincing as I said:

"I'm looking for Parkson Walk. Do you know where it is?" I had seen it before through the eyes of the black device that my master called his Watcher. It was ironic that my only link to the outside world had been the very thing keeping me from it. The dark man laughed, though his friend did not join it. The sallow-faced man stood slowly, turning his back on his rude companion.

"I know where it is," he said, picking up something that had been leaning against the wall – a cane. He tapped his way towards me, his eyes staring just over my shoulder. "I can take you."

"You… you can find your way there?" I asked, trying not to sound surprised. The corner of his mouth turned upward in a sarcastic smile.

"I may be blind but I'm not helpless," he said, shuffling past me. I paused a moment and watched him. Then, glancing at his surly-faced friend and deciding him the lesser of two evils, I rushed after him. The streets were all equally filthy and wet. I wondered if it had rained. I must have been asleep, for I usually liked to sit up and listen to the rain falling steadily on the world above. My blind guide was magnificently good at finding his way, much to my surprise. He knew where to turn without using his cane to tap on walls, he knew where puddles were and could avoid them, and he seemed to know what places were inhabited for he skirted those pointedly. We walked along in relative silence, our footsteps echoing in the empty forlorn streets of the ghetto. I couldn't help feeling suspicious and uncomfortable around him, but I was too nervous to talk much.

"What are you doing wandering around these streets, anyway?" The man asked me suddenly. I started, my heart reacting to the man's voice with a nervous pattering. Perhaps I was conditioned to think that a voice meant pain and misery. It seemed likely to me. The thought of master was like a knife in my side. I was already weak trying to keep the bond from alerting him of my absence. Plus, it would only keep me from getting any farther. I must keep going. I must find freedom, if only for a moment.

"I get lost easily," I said, quite honestly actually. When master gave me control of the Watcher, I often wandered off in the wrong direction, much to his chagrin. He'd taken to not releasing me until my destination was just at hand.

"Ah. And what, may I ask, is your name?" My name. I paused. Apprentice? No. Prisoner? No, not that either. I faintly remembered hearing something like "links" before. But that wasn't a _name. _So what _was _my name? Master always just called me what suited him. Like 'girl'. I frowned, thinking. I couldn't remember a name. Did I even have one? Was I even human?

"You don't have to tell me," the man said. "I understand. Mine's Jerry, though, if you were wondering." He smiled slightly, and I could see a Jerry somewhere in the lines of his face. His name suited him. I wish I had a name.

"Does everyone have a name?" I asked quietly.

"I should say so," Jerry replied, glancing at me with his blind green eyes, though his gaze hit just below my shoulder.

"Oh." We walked in relative silence for a while. Then Jerry pulled up suddenly, squinting as he looked at the end of the alley. The light there was brighter, less oppressive. I could hear cars and voices, the patter of footsteps.

"There's Parkson Walk for ya. You have a good day, girl," Jerry said, nodding to me before shuffling back into the dark alley. I watched him for a moment, feeling sad. Jerry wasn't a bad person. Why was he wandering those dark, cold streets? I couldn't even imagine why the world was so cruel to people like us. Outcasts. Prisoners. I hunched my shoulders against the cold, sticking my hands into the pockets of my beat up hoodie. With a hefty sigh, I turned my face back to Parkson Walk and made my way into the busy world of the fortunate people.

The Walk was bustling with activity, quite the opposite of the dark alleys above master's lair. Children were following a teacher who was pointing to the bronze statues and explaining the meaning behind them. Vendors were calling out their wares, from hot dogs to candies and rugs. Three men were posing as statues, moving only when money was dropped into a hat at their feet. I wandered into the street, watching as bikers zoomed past, leaving a wake of people glaring over their shoulders. I was awed by the sights, the smells. Instead of dank stone and sweat I smelt warm meat cooking, many perfumes, and some incense from a nearby booth. My stomach was aching painfully. I had been given only a small meal before master's plan was put into action. He'd warned me that failure would mean not eating for the next two weeks. I was already skin and bones. I don't know what more he could take away from me.

"Someone help!" I turned. People were staring up in horror at a robot towering over their heads, marching towards the Walk with cold blue eyes glaring down at the innocent bystanders. I recognized it at once, of course. Master's newest creation. Had he sent it after me? I pressed my hand against my side. How could he have found out so soon? I was turning to flee along with the rest of the people when I heard the same voice call for help again. I turned and saw a woman staring up at the robot with a panicked expression.

"My child!" She sobbed, and my eyes flitted up to the robot's claw hand. Dangling from it was a young girl who was crying and screaming, holding her arms out to her mother helplessly. I looked around. Was no one going to help? It appeared that everyone around me was more preoccupied with saving their own hides. Very well, then. It was up to me.

I was not worthy of the title "hero". No matter what that voice had told me, I would never be loved. But I could at least try to atone for the things I had done. Did it mean nothing that I had helped the suffering people earlier that day by helping the Titans destroy master's rock monster? I was not all evil. And I wouldn't let this child die. Perhaps then I would feel that I had done something worthwhile. Perhaps then I could die in peace. I pulled my hood over my head, masking my face. I didn't want to draw master's attention, if he were watching. I looked up at the robot and raised one hand, curling my fingers slightly. It was easier than it had been for so long, since the distance was not as great as it was when master had me help him. Sparkling dust seemed to radiate off my fingers, spinning in shimmering waves of glass around the robot's hand. The cold eyes of the droid looked down at its hand in confusion when the child slipped cleanly from its grip and floated down on a wave of glass. I released the child into the hands of her mother and then turned my attention to the robot.

"Run!" I called to the woman. She looked at me in awe as I raised both my hands and thrust them forward. A ripple of glass flew through the air, knocking the robot back against a building. I could feel the energy draining from me. My hold on the bond was weakening, and I could feel just how strongly master was calling for me. He knew. I fell forward, crying out in pain. I writhed on the ground, clutching my side. The pain was excruciating. It would be worse if I let go of the bond completely. I looked up through my tears and saw that the robot was advancing on me again. I raised my hand and tried to sit up, though I failed. My glittering glass aura surrounded the robot. It was trapped. It pounded against the glowing shield I had surrounded it in, making loud beeping noises that could have been cries of frustration. The woman had rushed past me, though I felt her eyes – as well as the eyes of many others – on me. I squinted against the pain and held my shield in place, no matter how much pain that simple gesture caused me.

"Help her! She's hurt!" I heard the woman's voice behind me. The sound of wind filled my ears and I released my shield as a burst of green filled the air. I watched as the robot was consumed by it, my glittering aura fading as it no longer had any purpose. The robot was defeated. I laid my face against the cold stone ground, closing my eyes and gritting my teeth against the pain that flared up my side. I could feel the bond pulsing and calling so strongly, I knew it would near kill me if it was in full existence. I gasped as I felt something warm against my shoulder. I whimpered and tried to get away.

"It's alright," a voice said, raspy and somehow comforting, "We took it down. Are you hurt somewhere?" I glanced at the boy sitting next to me. He was wearing purple, and there was a T on his uniform. My eyes widened in horror. One of the Teen Titans! I had to get away! If they found out who I was, which the dark one surely would, then I'd be tortured worse than I ever had by master. I couldn't survive that! I couldn't sit in their dark rooms and be probed and shocked and tormented… I couldn't do it! I crawled from the boy's side, keeping my head down as I pushed myself to my feet.

"Hey! Wait!" He called. But the adrenaline of fear chorused through my veins, and I was off. I ran as fast as I could, stumbling as I clutched my side, trying to stifle the pain. I ran until I couldn't hear him calling me anymore. I ran and ran, until my feet were stinging and the pain forced me to stop. I was in the park, surrounded by trees. I looked up. Just over my head, between the clouds, I could see a patch of blue sky. I let out my breath, collapsing on the ground beneath a tree. My eyes closed, knowing that I would find peace from the bond while I slept. A slow, weary smile spread across my face. At least I had seen it. That patch of blue. My dream. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I drifted off into sleep. My dream was fulfilled at last. For the first time in many years, I slept without dreams.

./*/.*/*./*/.

"It was just weird," Beast Boy sighed, pressing the _on _button of his gaming system. He turned and saw Robin looked upset, as only Robin ever could. He frowned and crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "I mean, we _obviously _just wanted to help. Why'd she run away?"

"Who knows?" Cyborg mused, sitting down on the couch with a loud _thud. _He muttered crossly as he had to screw in one of his loose bolts again. Beast Boy sighed and sat down beside him, looking up at the TV without much interest.

"That woman said that the girl saved her daughter," Starfire said, getting up from the kitchen counter, "Maybe she was afraid of someone finding out about her powers."

"She _did_ seem to have some kind of powers," Raven agreed, floating to her place on the couch like a wraith. She sat down and crossed her legs, watching the TV screen with those emotionless eyes of hers. Robin stood, running a hand through his dark hair.

"There was something eerily familiar about the way that robot seemed to… _shine._" He said thoughtfully.

"Could it have been sent by Slade?" Raven suggested.

"That seems likely." Robin turned and looked out the windows of Titan's Tower. The wide expanse of blue sea seemed to glisten and sparkle as the clouds finally parted, revealing the warm summer sky. Robin hesitated before turning to Raven.

"Could I talk to you? In private?" He asked quietly. Raven looked at him steadily and then stood, floating after him as he walked into the halls. He nodded to Starfire, trying not to feel uncomfortable as she stared after him. He knew his girlfriend well enough. If he burdened her with his troubles she'd just worry. But Raven was his confident, his close friend, and he could trust her to help him think through any problems or doubts he had.

"What's wrong, Robin?" Raven asked.

"You noticed the… the shimmering, too, right?" He asked, turning to her.

"Yes. It was like my black aura, only… _different, _somehow." Raven said thoughtfully, tilting her chin so that her dark hair fell over her face. Then she looked up, fixing her inky eyes on Robin's face. "Do you think that power has something to do with what Slade said about a… new apprentice?"

"That's just what I was afraid of. He never had that ability before." Robin murmured, staring down the hallway and wishing he could find an answer to all his questions somewhere, somehow. He sighed.

"I think you should relax for now, Robin," Raven suggested, her voice soft and concerned, at least for her, "Slade will move again soon, I think. He's already struck twice in one day. Though… the attack this afternoon was strange."

"How so?" Robin inquired.

"He didn't put on a show of it. I felt that whatever it was, that robot wasn't meant to lure _us _in." Their eyes met, and Robin felt the terrible truth of his friend's words. He sighed, thinking of the shimmering aura and the strange girl that had run away from Beast Boy.

"Things are getting pretty complicated," he sighed.

"And they'll only get worse from here on out," Raven agreed. Robin nodded gravely and then turned to rejoin the other Titans. No matter what happened, he knew, they would not be unprepared like they had with Terra. This time, they wouldn't suffer. He was positive of that.

He had to be.

.~*/~*/~*.

"The little wretch!" Slade roared, pacing the length of the cell. Her chains lay forlorn and empty on the cold stone ground, and by the Watcher's twitching he could tell that she had robbed him of his chance after the robot attack by falling asleep somewhere. Slade cursed under his breath, glaring up at the barred window overhead. She would pay for disobeying him. He turned and strode out into the empty tunnels that made up his lair. He made his way to the central chamber, where a large screen showed him the wreck of his robot minion. His visible eye narrowed into a slit as he felt the Watcher hover at his shoulder. She couldn't fight the bond forever. One day it would break through her little barrier, and she would be powerless to stop it.

"You called, master?" A voice echoed behind him.

"Yes," Slade replied, not taking his eyes off the screen, "I have a task for you." He turned around. A young-looking boy stood up at his master's nod. He was thin but had strong-looking arms. He wore a mask that was silver instead of bronze, but still had the half-black side that resembled Slade's.

"I am at my master's disposal," the boy said, bowing his head.

"I want you to find the little runaway," Slade murmured, turning to the screen again, "And I want you to teach her a lesson she won't soon forget."

"It will be done, master." As his apprentice left, Slade felt an evil sort of smugness.

"You won't evade me forever, girl," he murmured, his voice low and menacing, "And you'll regret the day you turned against me."

* * *

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading Carved Glass! Have your sort of figured out the title of the story now? ^,^ *laughs* Anyways, thank you for your time and I would greatly GREATLY appreciate a review! So press de button please and make my day! :D

-LR


	3. Broken

_(Author's Note: I do not own Teen Titans, the characters, or pizza. I do however claim credit for my ideas and OCs. Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy)_

**_Carved Glass_**

**.:Chapter Three:.**

**Broken**

The smell of dirt and sea filled my head and made me dizzy as I opened my eyes and rolled onto my back. I had enough energy to block out the bond. How long I could keep it up would greatly depend. My stomach growled pitifully, but I knew well enough it didn't expect food. _Well, _I thought, _Might as well give it a surprise. _I got up and made my way out of the park, wiping dirt from my sweatshirt impatiently. I paused at the edge of the woods, looking out at the streets and people. How would I pay for food and new clothes? I needed both desperately, but I didn't have any money. I sighed, frustrated. Then my eye fell on something billowing in the breeze – a twenty dollar bill. I reached out and a little sparkling aura surrounded it, bringing it to me. I clutched it in my hand, staring with an awestruck expression on my face. I'd never held money before. I knew what it was, of course. I had been raised in a prison, not a bubble. I'd been given things to do, things to read. I understood probably more than the average teenager. But understanding and _experience _are two different things. This was my first experience with a bill of any kind.

I made my way to a nearby fast food restaurant, buying a good sized meal with only five dollars. I munched on my food happily as I made my way through the streets, looking for a thrift store. I'd read about thrift stores, and that was my best bet for finding clothes I could afford with the lucky bit of money that I'd collected. I found a Goodwill sitting on the corner of Parkson Walk. Fortunately for me they were having a sale. I collected a few items I liked and purchased them, then made my way to a nearby public toilet to change. I looked in the mirror and was satisfied. I'd bought black cargo pants with chains hanging off them, a purple-and-black striped shirt, and a silver belt with bird shapes on it. I'd also purchased a black jacket, but I put it in the small backpack I'd procured with my old things, knowing I wouldn't need it for now. I made my way through the streets, uncertain of what to do now. The many sights and smells were enough to entertain me for now, but what would I do when I needed to eat again? I didn't have much money left – two dollars and some change. Maybe I'd find more money, maybe not. I watched some street performers and wondered if I could do that. But what would I perform with? I didn't have nice costumes or a guitar. I sighed as I paused to sit on a bench, feeling better rested and energized than I had in a long, long time.

I continued walking soon enough, wandering down a series of alleys. I was near a pizza parlor when I heard the footsteps. I turned and saw a man walking towards me, his face shadowed. I turned around and saw two more men. Great. Just what I needed. I stopped, glaring at them with all the spite I could muster.

"Lookie here," one of the men said loudly, "We got ourselves a kitten to play with." I opened my mouth for a retort when suddenly I heard a voice overhead:

"Oh? You want a kitten to play with, huh?" I started as a huge green lion flew through the air, roaring. The men cried out many colorful profanities as they scattered. I watched them go without much expression on my face. The cowards. Of course, a lion raining down from the heavens wasn't exactly the most common occurrence I supposed. I turned and watched as the green lion morphed back into the form of a boy. Great. Him again. I turned to go, feeling as if my entire body had turned to ice.

"Hey, wait," he called. I paused and turned. "Sorry for spooking you. I thought it would be funny." He said, shrugging helplessly. I looked into his eyes and hesitated. He didn't _look _dangerous. He appeared to be a normal teenage boy with a mischievous grin and a cute face, despite the pointed ears and large canine tooth protruding from one lip. I relaxed. He, at least, would not know my secret.

"It _was _funny," I conceded, smiling a bit awkwardly – it wasn't a common gesture for me.

"Well that's good," the boy said. "Otherwise I'd have to question my sense of humor." He grinned at me widely, and I was a bit stunned by his cheerfulness. I'd never been around many people, but the ones I _had _met were all sour-faced or sad. I was instantly drawn in by that face that looked so optimistic and bright. _Like the sun._ I thought absentmindedly.

"Thanks," I said at last, "For saving me."

"No problem. That's what I do." He said, grinning. "I'm Beast Boy, by the way." I smiled slightly. Then I realized it was polite to tell him _my _name. But I didn't have a name. I bit my lip, thinking. I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Leila." I murmured.

"Cool name," Beast Boy said. I shuffled my feet a bit, feeling something like nervousness but not quite. I wasn't ill at ease, just a bit jumpy. _Am I feeling shy?_ _Me? _I wondered.

"Do you want to get some pizza? It'll be my treat." I looked up at Beast Boy's grinning face and couldn't help but smirk.

"Do you always flirt with girls you save?" I inquired cheekily.

"Only when their belly has been rumbling since I alighted from up there," he said, gesturing to the pizza parlor behind him. I blushed when I realized my stomach _had _been rumbling. I'd ceased to really notice the event, since it was so common for me.

"Oh, well… I'd hate to impose…" I murmured.

"Nonsense! You look like you could use something to eat. Although… I'd get it if you wouldn't want to eat with someone who's green." Beast Boy said, hunching his shoulders with a wry, joyless smile. I stared at him in surprise. Was he thinking that I didn't want to eat with him because he looked…? I laughed.

"It's not that," I said quickly.

"Oh. Really? It usually is." Beast Boy said, frowning.

"Do you get rejected a lot?" I asked, one eyebrow rising slightly.

"All the time," he sighed. I couldn't help but chuckle – it felt so odd to be happy, to be laughing. I hadn't laughed in so long. It made me feel… warm and… content.

"Pizza sounds good," I said at last. Somehow it didn't matter to me that Beast Boy was an enemy, that he would torture me if he knew the truth. It didn't matter, as long as I could look into his face and see the light that had long ago vanished from mine. We sat together eating pizza for maybe an hour. The time seemed to pass too quickly. Beast Boy told me about the fight with the robot. At least he didn't recognize me as the girl that had run away.

"It was odd," he was saying as I took a bite of pizza and washed it down with some fizzing soda. I smiled at the taste in my mouth. Then I turned and looked at Beast Boy curiously.

"What was odd?" I inquired.

"She seemed in a lot of pain, but she was so afraid of me she ran like a banshee was chasing her. I wonder what was wrong. Maybe it was the green." He sighed.

"Or maybe she just didn't know who you were and was scared. You do turn into animals, after all. You could transform into a cheetah and run her down. That's a scary thought. Though I'm sort of surprised you didn't." I said honestly.

"If she doesn't want anything to do with me then I guess I can understand that." Beast Boy said, shrugging. I looked at him steadily and then tapped the top of my glass in an absentminded gesture.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" I asked curiously. He looked away, his eyes sad.

"Yeah," he replied evenly, "Once."

"What happened?" I inquired.

"She… moved on…" He murmured. I looked at him and understood the deeper meaning behind that, if only a little. _She moved on. He didn't._

"I see." I looked away, off at the buildings that towered against the sky, blocking the blue from my eyes. What would it feel like, to love but never have your love returned? It seemed like an impossibly sad thing to experience. I looked back at Beast Boy and found he was staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Have you ever liked someone before?" He threw my question back at me. I tilted my head to one side, considering the idea.

"No," I said, "I've never liked anyone before." It was true, in more ways than one. It was true that I'd never been in a relationship, never had a crush. It was also true I couldn't remember a single person in the whole world I would call a friend. I'd only ever had me, myself, and I.

"Oh." Beast Boy seemed to sense something beyond what I was saying, but I didn't let any sign show on my face. I looked down at my pizza and felt suddenly the impossibility of that moment. Here I was, eating like nothing was wrong, eating like I wasn't a fugitive endangering everyone around me. The thought that master could be seeing this and would hurt Beast Boy suddenly made me feel an innate sense of dread. I stood quickly.

"I've got to go," I said.

"Wait!" Beast Boy called. "Leila!" I looked over my shoulder at him, feeling as if he were tugging on my heart as the bond always had. But this tugging wasn't nearly as agonizing. It was just painful.

"Won't I ever see you again?" Beast Boy asked, and I saw that he'd felt it too. The connection, like two injured beasts understanding they needed the support of the other. I knew it would be dangerous for us both to agree to see him. I knew that it would be the selfish thing to do, putting him in the path of master's wrath. But I was too lonely to think I could separate myself from that smile, that hopeful look on his face.

"Sure," I said, "Meet me tomorrow by the fountain in the park." And with that, I turned and vanished into the crowds.

.~*.~*.~*.*~.*~.*~.

Titan's Tower rose up over Beast Boy's head as he swooped down into the window of his room. He transformed from his hawk form back into a human, looking around him at the untidy mess that was home sweet home. He felt better than he had in a long time. Talking with Leila had been like having someone understand him for the first time since Terra… Instead of looking at him and seeing _weird _Leila had looked and seen a person. Beast Boy thought about her pale, thin face, and her incredibly sad grey eyes. When he first saw her, she had looked at him with fear and suspicion. What had made that face look so haunted? She looked practically starved, and had eaten an entire pizza herself, though he was careful not to make her notice how much she'd eaten. When he'd asked her if she'd ever liked someone, he almost thought she wouldn't respond. She'd look so… sad and somehow angry. Beast Boy couldn't stop thinking about her, trying to figure out what she'd been through to make her so cautious. She'd talked only when he'd asked her a direct question. And when she did talk, she always did so in a quiet, subdued voice. But what a voice it was! Silky and smooth, warm and silvery, it was like none Beast Boy had ever heard before. He wondered about her. Perhaps he couldn't help but wonder. Beast Boy certainly couldn't have predicted that leaping down from the terrace of the pizza place to save a girl would end in such a confusing night of restless thought and anticipation. He would see her again. Tomorrow.

"Beast Boy, are you alright?" Cyborg stared at him as Beast Boy gazed off into the distance, thinking.

"What?" He asked, turning to his friend.

"You've been spacing out ever since you got back. Are you alright?" Cyborg demanded.

"Dude, I'm fine! I'm better than fine. Great! Fine! Everything's fine!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air as he walked around the kitchen. The other four Titans stared at him with wide eyes. Starfire turned to Raven.

"What is wrong with Beast Boy?" She asked.

"I'm not sure anything's wrong with him. That's just how he normally is." She said monotonously.

"Was that an insult!" Beast Boy demanded, turning on her.

"What if it was?" She lifted her eyebrows slightly, the only change in her expression. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes and stuck his chin out. He seemed about to say something and then a thought distracted him.

"I wonder if she likes picnics…?" He mused to himself, wandering towards the fridge. Raven glanced in surprise at Robin, who stared at Beast Boy through narrowed eyes.

"Has BB got a girlfriend?" Cyborg asked with a conspirators' grin on his face.

"I doubt it. He'd be shouting that from the sky if it were true." Raven muttered.

"I do hope he is alright." Starfire said worriedly.

"Don't worry about him, Star," Robin said, "I'm sure he's fine." She looked at him and smiled.

Beast Boy looked through the refrigerator for something he could pack for a picnic. There were some slices of cheese and ham. _Sandwiches? _He thought, hurrying over to the cupboard where they kept their bread. Yes! They had plenty. He scurried about, completely unaware of his friends' stares. He was too caught up in planning for the next day to give much thought to them.

"I still say he got a girlfriend," Cyborg muttered. "He hasn't even attempted to take the new gaming control from me yet."

"He does look rather preoccupied," Starfire agreed. Beast Boy looked out the window at the sea and sighed. Terra would have liked a picnic. But it wouldn't do to think of her. He knew that he'd probably never really love anyone again after that. But the look in Leila's eyes had given him a sort of hope. A hope that someone might understand and help him with the feelings he kept pent up all the time. Maybe that's why he was so desperate to find out about her. He got out the picnic basket and set it on the counter, staring at the woven fibers and thinking about the way her grey eyes had stared into him like they were seeing his soul. He sighed.

"Yep," Cyborg said, "Definitely a girlfriend."

.:~*.:/:.*~:.

The city was large, yes. She was just one small girl in a crowd of people. But he would find her. He had never failed before, at anything. His eyes slowly roved over the faces below him. He must have greatly resembled a gargoyle, he thought smugly, as he perched on the edge of a grand building. His eyes caught onto a strand of blonde hair. He frowned. The girl was walking with her friends, her blue eyes shining. Then she hesitated, looking around her as if she could sense him watching. She turned into an alleyway, her eyes wide, panicked. The boy crept forward, his cold grey eye narrowing behind his mask. The blonde girl covered her head with her hands as rocks rose up around her, flinging themselves in every direction. She turned and watched them, her face scared. He dropped to her side as the volley calmed and she sank down onto the ground, sobbing. She looked up at him, stunned.

"You have unique powers," he said, looking down at her. His voice was not as menacing as he would have liked. He'd never had the inclination to change it.

"I don't want them," the girl sighed.

"You will if you learn to control them. I can show you how to do that." He said. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"Really?"

"Yes. Quite easily, in fact." He replied. She looked at him, some of her bangs falling over her eye.

"What will it cost me?" She asked suspiciously. He smiled.

"Nothing but your help on a little quest of mine. You see, I'm helping a friend recover a student of his who has run away with some valuable information. If you help me find her I will teach you everything you need to know about your powers." She hesitated, seemingly undecided. Then she looked at the torn earth around her and nodded.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Excellent." He held out his hand and she accepted it.

"What's your name, by the way?" She asked him.

"You can call me Shadow," he replied, turning so that the dark side of his mask was to her.

"Oh. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shadow." She looked at him for a moment and then smiled, "My name's Terra."

* * *

Author's Note:

Oh no! That's not good! What's with Terra and getting herself into bad situations? Tut tut. Well, anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter! ^v^ Please review! I love reviews! Yay! :D

-LR


	4. Meetings

_**Teen Titans**_

**Carved Glass**

**.:Chapter Four:.**

**Meetings**

The fountain wasn't very crowded. I sat on the cool stone, dangling my feet into the water. My socks and shoes sat just behind me, and my sweatshirt was folded just beside them. I hadn't had much luck finding something to eat, but I was too excited to pay much attention to my complaining stomach. I watched the way the sunlight danced across the cool fountain water, thinking about Beast Boy and the way he always wore a smile. Except when he was talking about his girlfriend. I remembered the look of sadness in his eyes, so acute, it pained me. Somehow I was struck with the feeling that we were similar. How, I had yet to quite figure out. I knew I was doing something really stupid by meeting him. My master would definitely find me if I spent all my time with one of his mortal enemies. But how could I say no to that face? How could I deny myself that smile, that cheerful, raspy voice? It was no longer a question of desire. I _needed _someone to talk to. I needed company, someone I could trust. But _could _I trust Beast Boy? My head told me _no. _Master had made it clear that the Teen Titans would never trust one of his apprentices, even if she said she didn't want to serve Slade, that she'd been forced into it, tortured, abused. But her heart told her something else. Her heart told her that if she could trust any person in the whole world, Beast Boy would be the best choice.

"Leila!" My heart skipped a beat as I heard his voice behind me. I turned around quickly, a smile lighting up my face as naturally as if I did such a thing all the time. Smiling was so easy around Beast Boy – so much so I wondered how it had ever been impossible for me before.

"Beast Boy." I said, enjoying the feel of his name on my tongue. I spun around, shaking my feet a little to get the worst of the water off of them. Beast Boy was dressed in the same purple outfit he'd worn yesterday, and in his hand he held a wicker basket.

"Are you up for a picnic?" Beast Boy asked, a huge smile stretching across his face.

"Sure," I said easily. I pulled on my knee high socks, followed by my second-hand Converse shoes. As I got to my feet, Beast Boy took my hand in his.

"Let's go!" He exclaimed, leading me off. I gasped as he tugged me along, not as roughly as it would seem, but just fast enough to leave me breathless. He stopped in a open clearing, surrounded on one side by trees and on the other by the buildings of the city. He reached into the basket and pulled out a blanket, laying it down on the grass. He gestured to it with a sweep of his arms. I smiled at him and then sat down, crossing my legs and setting my hands on my ankles.

"I brought stuff for sandwiches and a couple Cokes. Do you like Coke?" He asked, holding out a can to me. I accepted it, not really knowing if I liked it.

"Uh, yeah," I said, hoping to make him happy, "Thanks." I took a sip and tried not to squint. It had a strange, rusty taste to it. But it wasn't that unpleasant. And the fizzy feel in my mouth was nice. It wasn't quite as good as the Root Beer Beast Boy had bought me at the pizza place yesterday, but I liked it in a weird way.

"So, how was your day so far?" Beast Boy asked, leaning back on the blanket with a can of soda as I rubbed some mayonnaise on my sandwich. I looked up at him, wondering if I should mention that I had slept in the park and stayed here all day, so my day had passed pretty much in anticipation of meeting him. I decided against it.

"It's been very good. How was yours?" He smiled a little.

"Cyborg – one of my friends and a fellow Titan – kept teasing me. But I don't really mind."

"Why was your friend teasing you?" I asked curiously. Beast Boy got this weird look on his face, and although it was hard to tell with his green skin, I was pretty sure he was blushing.

"Oh, um… no reason." He said sheepishly.

"So he teases you without provocation?" I asked, my eyebrows rising a little. Beast Boy looked at me, frowning. Then he laughed.

"Sometimes. But only on very special occasions," he teased, his eyes sparkling with mirth. I felt the laugh escaping my lips long before it came out. I loved the feeling, the way I had to buckle over to keep myself from crying. Beast Boy laughed with me, and I was touched by the moment. It had been too long since I laughed with someone else – in fact, I couldn't even say if I ever had. It must have happened long ago, if at all. I was suddenly terribly sad. It was weird, switching emotions so quickly. That usually didn't happen with me, but it was happening now.

"What's wrong, Leila?" Beast Boy asked, looking at me with big, honest eyes.

"It's been a… a while… since I could really laugh." I said, smiling sadly at him. It was a bittersweet feeling, being here with him at my side. The end to my loneliness was a comforting, warm thing – but it was a bit overshadowed by the realization of all the years I'd wasted, all the things I had missed in those years spent under master's thumb. And as I looked into Beast Boy's eyes, I had another realization. No matter how good he was, or how bright a light he'd become in my life in such a short time, he would abandon me if he knew the truth. He would never look at me again. My heart plummeted, and I flinched a bit when the pain in my side flared. All of this fretting was wearing on my strength. I sighed, unsure of what to do. Remaining with Beast Boy would either increase my anxiety or ease it. I couldn't say. And I didn't think I could bear to have him see me in pain from the bond. Suddenly Beast Boy took my hand, holding it firmly in his, his expression earnest.

"Well I like to hear you laugh," he said quietly. I opened my mouth to reply, but no words would come out. Finally I just closed it, smiling at him with more feeling than I'd felt in a long time. Beast Boy was slowly easing the pain from my heart, and with that burden lifted, it suddenly became easier to fight off master's hold on me.

"Beast Boy, I…"

"Hey, BB! There you are!" I froze, the blood draining from my face. I turned slightly, looking at the approaching figures. The mechanical man – Cyborg, I guessed – was walking towards us. If it had been just him, I might have stayed. But floating just behind him was the dark one. My heart stuttered in my chest and I panicked. I got up quickly, pulling my hand out of Beast Boy's.

"What's wrong, Leila?" Beast Boy asked, startled.

"I've got to go." I said quickly, only getting a few strides away before Beast Boy caught up to me, grabbing my arm. I flinched visibly, and he let go, shocked at my reaction.

"Leila…" He murmured, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I'm sorry. I'll see you around." I said, giving him a wary smile before turning and fleeing, knowing that Beast Boy's friends would probably think me strange – maybe they'd suspect me. But I had to get away. If I didn't, it'd all be over, and my time with Beast Boy would definitely end before it even began.

.~.\\*/.~.

Beast Boy watched Leila run off, his heart sinking. Why had she suddenly decided to go? As soon as Cyborg had shown up, she'd looked as if she'd seen a ghost. And when he'd touched her, she'd reacted like he was going to hurt her. _Just what sort of life has she lived? _Beast Boy wondered, staring at his hand. Had she been in an abusive relationship? But she'd said she'd never had a boyfriend before. _Maybe she just doesn't want me asking questions about it… _But then, she'd said she never _liked _anyone. Would she have gone out with a guy she didn't like? Or maybe he was just thinking about it wrongly. Maybe she was just afraid of the weird green kid that hadn't even known her a day but was already thinking about her in all his spare time.

"BB, what's going on?" Cyborg asked, looking from Beast Boy to where his friend had vanished.

"She said she had to go." Beast Boy replied evenly.

"She couldn't wait around to meet us? We want to see BB's girlfriend!" Beast Boy rounded on Cyborg, feeling a strange mixture of anger and frustration and sadness after seeing that terrified look on Leila's face.

"Just shut up, Cyborg! She's not my girlfriend! I barely know anything about her!" He snapped, turning his back on his friend. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Raven's expressionless face.

"Beast Boy…" She murmured, her brows coming together a little – the only sign of her concern.

"Look, I just… I need some time." He said, folding up the blanket. _It's been so long since I last laughed. _He stared down at Leila's half-eaten sandwich. He wondered why that was. Why hadn't she laughed? Why did her eyes look so sad? Was she in trouble? _Stop it, Beast Boy, _the Titan chided himself, _If she needed a hero, she'd want a better one than you._

"BB…" Cyborg stared after his friend as Beast Boy picked up his basket, walking back towards Titan's Tower. Raven turned to him and shook her head.

"Just give him his space," she said.

Beast Boy sat down on the long black couch in the main living area of the Tower. He stared out of the windows, his mind drifting even as his thumb pressed against the "next channel" button on his remote. Again. And again. And again.

"Are you going to watch something or do you just need your remote fix for the day?" He started and looked up at Cyborg. His friend sat down on the couch, taking the remote from Beast Boy's hand. The pointed-eared boy stared at his friend, studying the way he leaned back against the couch, a smug smile on his face as he flipped through the channels.

"I'm sorry about teasing you, BB," Cyborg said at last, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything." He turned and met Beast Boy's gaze, the expression on the human side of his face looking honestly apologetic.

"That's okay, Cyborg," Beast Boy sighed, "I was just a bit… frustrated, I guess."

"Do you have any idea why she ran off?" His friend asked. Beast Boy thought through their meeting.

"Well," he murmured, "She was fine… until she saw you and Raven coming." He looked at Cyborg thoughtfully. "Maybe you scared her."

"Oh, that hurt!" Cyborg exclaimed, wincing.

"She's a bit finicky." Beast Boy mused.

"Are you going to tell me her name, at least? I'd rather not have to refer to her as 'the girl', and 'BB's girlfriend' has been ruled out."

"Her name's Leila." Beast Boy murmured absentmindedly, his eyes on the TV screen but his thoughts far from the Tower. He couldn't help but think about the look in Leila's eyes. What about his friends had scared her? And he didn't kid himself – she _had _been scared. Beast Boy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Would he see her again? The thought that she wouldn't look for him, that he had no idea where to look for her, unnerved him to no end. He sighed. Beast Boy could no longer remember why he was so determined to see her. Maybe it was the way she'd laughed, the way she smiled, the way she seemed to stare into his soul and see the true person there, not just what he was on the outside. But whatever it was, he couldn't ignore it – even if he wanted to.

"Hey, BB," Cyborg murmured, leaning over the couch to stare into Beast Boy's face.

"What?" The green boy asked without really concentrating.

"How about we go out for some doughnuts?" Beast Boy looked up. Maybe some fun would distract him. Maybe.

"Alright," he consented at last, getting to his feet with a determined look on his face. He cast one last glance out the windows at the sea before turning and walking after his friend.

.~./~./~./.~.

Terra frowned in concentration, trying to listen to Shadow's voice as she moved the two large rocks back and forth. They knocked each other and jerked suddenly, as if they were trying to escape her control. Sweat beaded her forehead as she squinted, feeling the strain of controlling and wishing she could just quit it with the powers and the "being special".

"Don't try quite so hard," Shadow's voice murmured just by her ear, his breath warm against her neck, "Just relax." He touched her shoulder, and she stiffened for a moment before doing as he said. She let her grasp relax a bit and her shoulders loosened, her sore body almost sighing in relief when she released the tension.

"There. Isn't that easier?" Shadow asked gently, playing with a strand of her hair. Terra smiled widely at him over her shoulder.

"I can do it! I can control them!" She said proudly, showing him how she could make the rocks twirl and spin, moving in sync across their small practicing space at the bottom of a deep gorge cut by an earthquake many years prior.

"Good work, Terra. You've improved greatly in the past few days." Shadow said, a smile in his voice. She looked up at him and wished she could see his face. But Shadow was as mysterious as he was a good teacher, and she didn't have the nerve to ask him why he wore that mask.

"Do you think so?" She asked hopefully.

"I know so," he replied.

"But what about you? How am I supposed to help you find the student?" She asked, her blue eyes wide and innocent, just wanting to be of use to her new friend and mentor. Shadow patted her shoulder gently, his one visible eye softening.

"You will," he said, "Don't worry. Now, let's try the next move…"

.~|~.~|~.~|~.

The dark halls of Slade's hideout were filled with the sounds of progress. Several machines were already constructing a new robot to replace the one that the Titans had destroyed. And Slade's experiments were going well. He would have plenty of fighting force soon. But all of that was not enough for him. There was one room that was empty, and that thought was like trying to swallow a very large stone. Slade had waited patiently for word from his apprentice, Shadow. But so far there had been nothing but a few assurances that he was planning his moves out. That was the trouble with Shadow. He was all plans and thinking and no action. Slade's visible eye narrowed as he stared at the large computer screen, watching the city with a very intense sort of expression, as if he wanted it all to himself and would not take no for an answer. _Perhaps I was wrong to take on another apprentice? _He thought, _Perhaps my plan was the best after all… _But the plan must not be_ very_ good if the girl was running loose on the streets. What if she contacted the Titans and told them of his plans? What little she knew of those plans anyway. But she wouldn't. He'd instilled a deep fear of them into her, and she was a timid creature by nature. She trusted no one, and that ingrained lesson would not be unlearnt anytime soon.

"You may think you have escaped the cage, my little bird," Slade said, staring at the pictures of the bustling city with open malice in his voice, "But you are far from flying off yet. Just wait. I will find you. And when I do…" He lashed out, his fist breaking one of his smaller monitoring screens. With pieces of metal and gears falling from the desecrated screen, Slade turned and made his way out of the room.

* * *

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading chapter four! Wow. So, yes. A LOT happening here XD I am sorry if you feel that the story is moving too fast. There is an explanation: 1. I do not like writing extremely long fanfics. 2. I do not have time to write extremely long fanfics. 3. I do not have the time to come up with many boring fillers to make my fanfic longer and 4. I feel that it will be more exciting this way. Haha yeah so that's about it ^w^ Don't worry, though, it will be devious, if not uberly long. I impressed myself with writing EMM (my Lion King fanfic) and having eleven chapters, so who knows how far this one will go? I WILL warn you that chapter six will cue the major plot twists (Or was it five? Eh, oh well). Anyways, hope you liked THIS chapter and are looking forward to my story regardless of how long and drawn-out I want to make it. Please comment and review and let me know how I'm doing =W= Thanks again!

-LR


	5. Revelations

_**Teen Titans**_

_**Carved Glass**_

**.:Chapter Five:.**

**Revelations**

I sat on the curb of a small street, feeling lost and alone and terribly sad without Beast Boy's company. I stared up at the store across from me, not really registering what was happening around my small, dark world. I knew deep inside my heart that I couldn't keep meeting with Beast Boy. It was only a matter of time before his dark friend got close enough to see into my heart – and she wouldn't like what she found. I bowed my head, feeling ashamed. Even if I longed to be with him, it was impossible. I was dirty. I was evil. I couldn't change that. If he knew, he'd turn his back on me. He'd never look me in the eye again. He'd hate me. I shuddered as I imagined him handing me off to his friends and how they'd torture me worse than master ever did. My heart ached terribly as I buried my head in my hands. If only I could have met him before, when my life was full of freedom – but perhaps then I wouldn't appreciate his smile as much. Even so, at least I could look at him with innocent eyes.

"Hey, miss, are you alright?" I looked up to see a kindly looking old man leaning over me, a concerned frown on his face.

"I'm fine, sir, thank you," I replied with a listless smile.

"Ah," the old man said, resting both hands on the handle of his wooden cane, "So it's an ailment of the heart, is it?" His compassionate and understanding face nearly broke my heart all over again. Who was I that I deserved the kindness of this man? I had nothing to give to the world, but people always seemed to come my way. The blind man, Jerry. Beast Boy. This elderly man standing over me, concerned for a girl he'd never met. All helping that girl who deserved nothing. Nothing but the pain she'd always known.

"I just… I don't know what to do anymore." I said, though it suddenly dawned on me that I'd _never_ really known what to do. I sighed.

"Well," the old man said, gesturing to a nearby bench I hadn't noticed before in my despair, "Why don't we have a seat and talk about it?" I joined him there, feeling the warmth of his companionship. Even if I didn't deserve it, and even if he wasn't Beast Boy, he was someone to talk to. A person who cared for some unfathomable reason.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" The old man asked, smiling at me in a friendly way, the wrinkles around his eyes forming distinct smile lines. Even if he was a bit stooped over, he looked healthy. His blue eyes seemed to shine with a brightness of spirit that I'd lacked pretty much all my life. Somehow he was like Beast Boy. Or maybe every kind person reminded me of my green-skinned friend.

"Well… there's this boy… I really like…" I said hesitantly. I knew I couldn't tell the man the whole truth – that would put him in danger for one thing, and it would sound totally absurd for another.

"Ah, a boy." The man said with a knowing gleam in his eye.

"Well, it's just… I want to be around him. He's the only person I feel close to, the only person I've ever wanted to really trust. But… but if he finds out about… about my family… and about who I really am… then he'll probably hate me." I looked down at my hands, noticing that I'd been twiddling my thumbs. I set them both on my lap. "He has a friend… that knows about my family. And I can't avoid that friend when I'm with him. So I guess the only option… is to never see him again." I felt the tears filling my eyes, blurring my vision. I'd grown used to crying. I'd had plenty of occasions in my life. But this was one of the first times I cried for someone else. This was the first time that I cried really wanting a specific person to come and comfort me.

"It seems to me," the old man said gently, placing his bony hand on my shoulder, "That there are plenty more options than just that." I looked up into his face, my eyes round.

"Really? Like what?" I asked.

"Well, you can never see him again, that's true. Or you could wait until this friend of his tells him who you are and where you come from. Or… you can just tell him that for yourself."

"But… but he'll… he's…" I stammered, willing this man to understand the predicament I was in.

"Now, now. Do you trust this boy?" The man prompted, gazing sternly into my face. I opened my mouth, feeling the answer in my heart as I responded;

"Yes."

"And do you feel that he trusts you?"

"I don't know," I murmured, when in fact I knew that he _did _trust me. Beast Boy was the type of person to trust anyone.

"And do you love him?" The question stunned me. I sat back, looking at the old man with a confused and shocked expression on my face. I knew he could see a lifetime's worth of sorrow and regret and pain in my eyes. And I could see that I'd surprised him, too. But he remained silent, letting my heart wrestle with my mind. I knew I _shouldn't _love Beast Boy. I knew it was almost impossible – we hadn't known each other that long. I knew that the fear of what he'd do if he knew should frighten me. I knew that I shouldn't even _trust _him, yet I did with every fiber of my being. I opened my mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come.

"Once you've decided on that point," the man said, patting my knee and standing, "Then I think you'll know what to do." He gave me one last kind smile and then merged into a small crowd, disappearing among the throngs. I stared after him for a moment, and then smiled.

It had been three days since I'd last seen Beast Boy. The days passed slowly, miserably. I scrounged up whatever I could to eat and keep up my strength. The Bond still threatened me, an ever-pulsing danger that fed off of my weakness and despair. The dull ache and the exhaustion had become common feelings for me, just as being chained in a dark room for twelve years had. But without Beast Boy to distract me, I noticed it more than I'd like. The sun shone down on the fountain where I'd met him for our picnic, shimmering across the surface of the water like dozens of diamonds dancing in the daylight. I had washed my clothes in it the night prior, and they were still a little wet. I had to wonder if Beast Boy would have noticed it sooner or later. I sighed.

"Leila?" I started. The voice was not _really _familiar, and yet I'd definitely heard it somewhere before. I turned and looked over my shoulder, stunned to see Beast Boy's friend, the mechanical man, Cyborg. I turned slowly, letting my wet feet dangle over the side of the fountain as I stared at him.

"Yes," I said quietly, "That's me."

"Wow! BB's been looking like a madman for three days and I stumble across you by coincidence," he mused, looking a bit smug.

"Beast Boy has been looking for me?" I asked, feeling as if my heart had suddenly taken flight. Was he really that concerned about me? Did he think of me as often as I thought of him? Did his entire _world _seem dismal without me there, as mine did without him? It was almost too much to dream of, let alone believe.

"Oh yeah. He was real sulky after you wandered off. Mind if I sit down?" Cyborb motioned to the place beside me. I hesitated, looking around. The dark one wasn't with him.

"Well, alright," I said, watching as he hunkered down beside me. The sunlight glanced off of his metal appendages, as blinding as the fountain water at times. I looked up and saw he was looking at me intently, his expression relaxed.

"So you're not afraid of me, then?" He mused, a slight grin on his face.

"N-not… not really…" I stammered, although I _was _afraid of what he'd do to me if he knew the truth. Master said he knew lots of ways to make machines hurt people. I shivered at the thought.

"Well that's good. When you saw me and Raven you look as though a pack of jackals were after you." Cyborg studied the expression on my face with that surprisingly irritating, searching look of his. Was he suspecting me already? Did he know? Had the dark girl gotten close enough to peer into my mind after all?

"I'm just… I don't get along with people very well." I said, looking down at my hands.

"Abnormal people, or just… people?" Cyborg inquired.

"Just _people._ Actually I think I get along better with abnormal people than the everyday types," I sighed, thinking of how I'd never had a single friend until Beast Boy – or at least one I could remember.

"So… what do you think of Beast Boy?" I looked up, surprised.

"Huh?"

"I know it's a bit of an odd thing to ask," Cyborg said hastily, looking a bit embarrassed, "But he's my friend, and he's become really attached to you. I just… I don't want him hurt anymore." He sighed. I looked up at the sky, thinking. But the words came out of my mouth before I could really check them, flowing like water over rocks.

"He's the only happiness I've ever known. Before I met him, I didn't have a friend or hope in the world. But he's become all that to me, in a really short time. I feel that we are… we're similar, somehow. But I can't be like him. I can't… be happy like he can. I can't smile. I can't laugh. Not without Beast Boy. He's become… like the sun to me. I need him. Without him, my world is dark, and I feel all alone…" My voice trailed off as my eyes dropped to my hands. I sneaked a peak at Cyborg and saw that he looked surprised.

"So you like him, then?" He smirked at me.

"I shouldn't. I'm not good for him." I responded gently, my voice filled with the deepest sorrow, and I could feel it in my chest like a raging fire, dampened by cold water suddenly, leaving nothing but pitiful, suffocating smoke.

"Why not?" Cyborg prompted.

"Because he's the sun. I'm… I'm like the moon. He's warm and bright and happy. I'm cold and surrounded by darkness and despair. Even if he somehow takes away my past, makes me feel... _whole… _for the first time in my _life… _I'll only drag him down." I said, feeling the terrible truth of my words and hating the way they tasted. I wish I could fill my mouth with water and just wash away the words, the truths, the pain. I wish I could spit them out, along with the Bond, and just _live_ for once.

"He had a girlfriend once, you know," Cyborg said suddenly. I looked up at him, surprised. "Her name was Terra. She was bubbly, energetic, and she became a member of our team. But she betrayed us all. She was the apprentice of one of our enemies. In the end, though, she gave up her memories and freedom for us – for him. And Beast Boy couldn't forget that. But when he's with you, I can see the way he laughs. He's himself again, if only for a while. I don't think it's just you that needs the other." Cyborg looked down at me with an open, friendly expression, and I felt as if I'd had my head thrust underwater and I was struggling to breathe.

"Broken trust," I sighed, looking away, "I don't think he could take that again."

"And do you think that will happen?" Cyborg looked at me, and I could feel his attention like it was a tangible thing, something I could touch and taste and smell.

"It's… unavoidable." I said at last.

"And why is that?" For a moment I considered telling him. Even if it meant getting tortured, maybe the normal people – the innocent people that weren't dirty and despicable like me – would be helped by it. Maybe I could make a difference.

"Because I…" The words caught in my throat. Fear filled me, messing with my resolve. I bowed my head, resigned. I just couldn't do it. I wasn't strong enough. "I've made so many mistakes. I'm so tainted… dirty… horrible. He wouldn't forgive me." Tears filled my eyes, blinding me. I stood up, shaking my head as the Bond filled my body with pain, feeding off of my sorrow and fighting my control, "He would never forgive me." With that, I ran away, ignoring Cyborg's voice calling after me.

.~/.*~*./~.

Cyborg sat at his workbench, busying himself with making a new security camera after a wayward basketball took out the old one. As he fused parts, sorted through wires, and adjusted lenses, he thought about Beast Boy's friend and his talk with her. He hadn't told Beast Boy yet, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. There was something about the things she'd said that had made him… cautious. He'd been especially unnerved by the look in her eye when she said Beast Boy would never forgive her. She obviously knew him well enough to know BB rarely held grudges, so it had to be something bad. She'd called herself the moon – dark, cold. She'd said she was tainted and dirty. She was sure that if she opened up to BB, he would never trust her again. Cyborg couldn't begin to guess at what she'd gone through. His mind worked through a thousand different scenarios, but he couldn't decide on any of them. For the past three days, Beast Boy had been practically a zombie. What more would he go through for this girl he barely knew? What more would he suffer until he realized he should just leave her alone before she became another Terra?

"Cyborg?" Starfire's voice interrupted Cyborg's thoughts. He turned slowly, looking at her worried expression and wondering what this could be about.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Beast Boy is home again. He is looking rather upset. I do not know what to do to encourage him." She said sadly, "He does not want to have a contest of the food eating, nor does he want to play the video games with me."

"BB's just stressed right now, Star. I'll talk to him." Cyborg said, standing. Starfire smiled, nodding, seeming to trust that Beast Boy's closest friend would know exactly how to cheer him up. Cyborg walked through the long halls of Titan's Tower, stopping outside Beast Boy's bedroom. He knocked once, listening as a loud _thump _resonated from the other side of the door. It opened in a quick motion, revealing Beast Boy's worn, sad face.

"What's up?" He asked monotonously. Cyborg hesitated. Would this really be a good thing to tell him?

"I saw your girl today at the park." He said at last, wishing he could be sure he was doing the right thing. Beast Boy's eyes lit up suddenly.

"Really? Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah, I did," Cyborg replied evenly.

"Did she say anything?" Beast Boy prompted, looking like a child with his eyes sparkling. If he'd been a dog, his tail would have been wagging quick enough to appear invisible.

"Beast Boy… I'm not sure if you should get involved with her. She seems… sort of… _lost, _if you know what I mean." Beast Boy frowned, his hand on the door, his eyes distant.

"She understands me," he said quietly.

"Yes, she does. She told me so herself," Cyborg murmured, feeling as if he were egging Beast Boy on when he should be telling him the truth. "But that's the problem, BB."  
"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked, looking defensive, his eyes filling with anger and confusion.

"She doesn't want to get close to you, BB. She said so. She doesn't want to… to let you down," Cyborh said gently, knowing that his words weren't the whole truth, but they were close enough.

"What? W-what are you saying? You… you don't… I…" Beast Boy looked crushed, his ears flicking down like a puppy's while his eyes grew huge and filled with expressions of hurt and dismay. Cyborg flinched, wishing he could encourage his friend, and hating that he had to be the bearer of bad news.

"Look, BB… she didn't really tell me any specifics. But she said that if you and her… got close… she'd just end up hurting you. And she was serious, dude. I'm sorry." Cyborg muttered, feeling the weight of his friendship like heavy stones on his shoulders. Beast Boy looked up at him, and in that moment all the expression just died away, replaced by a terrifying emptiness.

"Okay," he said quietly, "I get it." And with that, the door slammed in Cyborg's face.

./~/.*./~/.

Terra walked with her friends out of their high school, chatting about classes or afternoon plans or anything that interested them. But Terra was already looking around, searching the crowd for a familiar figure.

"Are you looking for your boyfriend?" Her friend Meghan asked.

"What? He's not-" Terra began, whipping around to face her. But then her eyes fell on Shadow, his tall form dark against a dark alley wall, his face hidden by his mask. It was hard to tell he was wearing one, though, since he was standing in the shade, and for that Terra was grateful. She didn't want her friends to think that the person she hung out with every day was weird.

"I'd better go. He'll be here soon. See you guys!" Terra exclaimed, running towards Shadow but trying to look inconspicuous. She paused beside him, waiting until her friends were gone, before turning to look at him with a wide grin on her face.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" She asked cheerfully.

"Today we will start looking for the student," he replied, turning. Terra followed instinctively, accepting the goggles and walkie talkie that he offered her.

"Do you think I'm ready?" Terra asked hopefully.

"Of course," Shadow replied, "You've worked hard." They strolled down the street together, she in her jeans and yellow T-shirt and he in his customary black attire. She marveled over how muscular he was, and how he seemed to move with the grace and stealth of a panther. Shadow stopped suddenly, turning.

"We will be looking in several areas. You are searching for a black-haired girl with grey eyes. She is thin and pale and will react badly to this." He handed Terra a small sound recorder. She pressed the _play _button. A voice filled the air, soft and gentle, singing. _"Softly, oh softly, may the roses fall softly… gently, my dear, as I pass through the valley…" _It was an old lullaby, one that Terra was not altogether unfamiliar with. She looked up at Shadow and tilted her head to one side.

"Trust me," he said, his gaze distant and sad, "She will know that sound and she will feel a despair more keen than any a normal person could hope to know." He paused, then looked back at Terra.

"Do you understand your mission, Terra?" He asked, his gaze serious.

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, excited for a chance to please Shadow, "I won't fail you!"

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading Carved Glass! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm sorry for my wildly unpredictable updates - life is hectic and chaotic and confusing and all that good stuff =w= But on an up note I got to go to my first anime convention this past weekend! It was AWESOME! o I feel like I have a second home now ^v^ Anywho, I hope you all look forward to the next chap. Danke for reading XD

-Lion


	6. Culmination

_**Teen Titans**_

**Carved Glass**

**.:Chapter Six:.**

**Culmination**

Rain pattered softly onto the earth, streaking the air with tendrils of silver that descending from the rumbling clouds overhead. This was the sort of day that I had loved in my dark prison. I had once sat with my head leaned back against a wall, my eyes closed and my ears cocked to pick up the soft thrum of the downpour outside my small window. I would imagine what the rain would feel like on my skin—cool and clean, soft and soothing on the scrapes and cuts that had always seemed to cover my body. But in that present moment, sitting beneath a tree in my pitiful attempt to get out of the rain, I did not feel happy that I was experiencing a rainfall as I had always dreamed to. The rain, instead of being comforting, was cold and harsh, digging into my skin and chilling me through so that my bones ached. The effects of the rain would not have been quite so bad if I had not been miserable enough already due to the events of the previous day. Seeing Cyborg again and telling him all those things about myself… well, it just made my faults more real. And the more I realized that, the more I saw how bad a match I was for Beast Boy. It would be better for me to leave. Get as far away as I could. Or maybe even to just… disappear. It would be better for everyone if I could never return. If my powers didn't exist. But I was too much of a coward to think of that alternative for long. In the end, it was too frightening a concept for me. _"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come…" _

I pulled my light jacket over my shoulders more tightly, shivering so hard it probably looked like I was convulsing to other people—not that there were any people around to notice. If anyone was out and about in the rain, they were probably on main streets with umbrellas over their heads and destinations in their heads. Me… I was sitting in the wet grass, with droplets falling on my head, thinking about things that I just wanted to forget. _Why couldn't I have been normal? _I thought sadly. But another thought made me feel somewhat better: _but if I were to be "normal," maybe I would never have met Beast Boy. _It was strange to think of how much he had come to mean to me in the past week. I'd never known anyone as caring and trusting as he was. He had really become the sun in my life, the one thing that my thoughts seemed to center themselves around. The hardest thing to swallow at that point was the fact that he had probably heard about my conversation with Cyborg the previous day, and after that… well, he probably wanted nothing more to do with me. Why would he want to risk his heart on a girl he couldn't trust? After all, he'd fallen for someone like that before, and it hadn't worked out well. I wondered what she had been like. Had she been beautiful? Kind? Why had _she _hurt Beast Boy? Would I end up hurting him if I stayed? My side ached horribly. I got up and decided it was time to find better shelter than that rotten old tree. If I didn't get some good, comfortable rest, I would lose my grip on the Bond, and then everything would be over anyways. _At least then I wouldn't have to think about all this anymore, _I thought, feeling exhausted after having such an emotional day. Or perhaps, more accurately, an emotional _life._

The pathways through the park were darkly tinted—wet and shining in the rain. Droplets splattered on the pavement in little explosions, making soft _teh teh teh _noises that seemed to me to be the perfect soundtrack to my life. It was a sad, lonely sound. The sound of a girl who was slowly but steadily falling apart. But maybe I was just wallowing in self-pity. It would do no good to constantly dwell on the negative parts of life. That really would leave me feeling suicidal or something worse. My hand strayed to my side, and I thought of the day that my master had implanted the small microchip into my body. By now, it was probably wrapped up in my vital organs—I think that's what master said it was designed to do. No matter how hard I tried to make it go away, to make it _not exist, _the Bond was still there, pulsing and sending jabs of pain through me. Would I ever be rid of it? It seemed to me that the only times I didn't notice it… were the times I was with Beast Boy. Another dull ache seemed to vibrate inside of my chest, but this was not the usual pain of the Bond. It was the type of pain that inspired cliché sayings like "dying from a broken heart." At that moment, I thought maybe I would.

"Leila." I started and whirled around, prepared for anything—or so I thought. In my heart I had almost dared to hope that I would see Beast Boy again. More than anything in the world I wanted to be near him, to talk to him, to drown away my sorrows in the light of his smile. But I had also been dreading our meeting, and so when the event actually came to pass, what I felt was a mixture of happiness and sadness and fear that was so confusing it almost made my head spin. _I'm such an idiot. _I thought. _Falling in love with the enemy… What do you expect will happen, girl? You'll only hurt him and end up dead yourself—or worse._

"Beast Boy," I said shakily, the name slipping through my lips almost of their own accord. My eyes seemed to drink in the sight of him, from his slim waist to his thickset shoulders and then up to his almost elfish face, which was usually so expressive but at that moment was impossible to read. His dark hair looked even darker than usual, and it hung down across his forehead, plastering itself to his wet, green skin. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something. Anything. That I was sorry. That I hated myself for tormenting him like this. For lying to him. For betraying his trust merely by being near him. So sorry… Sorry for _existing_. Sorry for being a horrible, evil, miserable, useless traitor. Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks, but I was pretty sure Beast Boy wouldn't notice, since my face was already wet with the rain.

"I've been looking for you," Beast Boy said matter-of-factly. "It seems that you like this park, so I thought I'd start here."

"Did you really expect me to be here in this downpour?" I asked, wishing I could sound anything but what I was—tired.

All Beast Boy said in reply was, "Well." I supposed I could finish that statement easily enough: _"Well, here you are."_

"So, you've found me," I murmured, feeling the rain thrumming against my head and my shoulders but not really caring anymore. Even in my current state, Beast Boy made most menial concerns disappear. "What do you want?"

"I want to ask you… if you hate me?" Beast Boy looked down at his feet and seemed to be tensing himself, as if he expected me to say, _"Yes, Beast Boy, I hate you with every fiber of my being." _I stared at him, a little at a loss for words. Where was this question coming from? I had never said anything like that. So why would he think I hated him? I was confused, but I decided to answer his question seriously.

"I don't hate you," I said quietly.

"Really?" Beast Boy looked up at me, his eyes full of confusion and hurt, "Then why did you tell Cyborg you never wanted to see me again?"

My stomach seemed to plummet into my toes, and I was pretty sure my heart had just done a somersault in my chest. It took a few moments for me to think through my answer—I knew I needed to consider my answer carefully. I couldn't lead Beast Boy on anymore. But I didn't want to lie either. I knew… at that moment… that I needed to tell him the truth. The whole truth. I had run long enough. It was time to bear the consequences of my sins. I just hoped that Cyborg wouldn't be the one to torture me. I sort of liked him. And I hoped that Beast Boy wouldn't be there. I didn't think I could bear to see him close by… That would be like my master laughing in my face, saying, _"I told you so."_

"Leila?" Beast Boy's eyes were so focused on me, it was almost as if he thought I was going to disappear again. But I was done running.

"It's better for everyone if I disappear," I said finally. "Better still if I would just die. Then you could never be hurt. No one would ever be hurt again." I looked down at my hands, so small and yet so sturdy. Those hands had done terrible things. They had caused people to suffer. I remembered watching on the screen in my prison as my powers reduced Cyborg's armor to a heap of scrap metal. I remembered other times, less pleasant even than that. My stomach clenched, and I thought for a moment that I was going to be sick.

"Leila… I don't understand," Beast Boy murmured.

"Do you remember the girl who stopped that robot from hurting that girl, and then ran away when you tried to help her?"

"Yes."

"That was… _me."_ The words came out in something of a gasp, since I seemed to be choking on them as they formed in my throat.

Beast Boy's eyes widened considerably. "That was… you?"

"Yes," I replied softly. "I saw that no one was helping, and I… I was still really weak, but I wanted to help. I thought maybe… maybe it would make things right." Even to my own ears my fumble at rationalizing my own behavior sounded weak at best.

"Why did you run away when we came?" Beast Boy asked. He didn't question me in a pushy way. He just seemed to want to know. I looked at him through the rain, feeling my hopes sink away from me like heavy stones dropped into the ocean, sinking down, down, down to be swallowed by dark and cold.

"I was afraid of you," I said quietly. "Afraid of what you'd do to me if you knew..." _Even now. _I looked at him, feeling as if I was being torn in two. A part of me wanted to shut up and remain guiltless in his eyes. But the bigger part of me knew that could never be. I had to be honest with him.

Beast Boy looked confused. "What…?"

"I have to tell you the truth… But I… I don't even know where to start." I buried my face in my hands. It was hard, to say the least. My emotions seemed to be festering inside of me, and the Bond—the microchip embedded in my side—was pulsing and pulling. I was losing my grip on it. It was already too material, and the pain was excruciating. But I wouldn't let it show. I couldn't let Beast Boy see that. Suddenly I felt something warm on my shoulders. I dropped my hands a little and looked into Beast Boy's eyes, which were much closer to me. He was only about five inches away, with his hands resting on my shoulders.

"You can tell me anything, Leila," he said quietly. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Beast Boy, I'm—"

"Well, well, well," a deep voice interrupted me. It was a familiar voice, and shivers seemed to fill my body when I heard it. "What do we have here?"

.:~*.:/:.*~:.

Beast Boy started and turned around, wondering who had interrupted them. A boy stood about fifteen feet away, leaning against one of the park trees with a careless sort of air about him. Half of his face was obscured by a dark mask, which seemed to Beast Boy to look very much like another's…

"Shadow," Leila said quietly. Beast Boy glanced at her, surprised, and then he turned back to the darkly dressed boy who seemed to be amused by what he was seeing.

"You should know better, girl," the boy said, smirking. "I distinctly remember our master telling us what would happen if the Titans happened to capture us." Beast Boy felt… wrong somehow. A horrible suspicion had begun to grow inside of him. He looked at Leila and hoped with all of his heart that he was wrong. But her face told him everything. She looked afraid, the color draining from her cheeks. She wasn't looking at Beast Boy, but he could feel her inching away from him slowly.

"Y-you're…"

"Wrong?" The boy scoffed. "I hardly think so. You may have been stupid enough to fall for your enemy, but I hardly think you're enough of an idiot to expect him to spare you just because of that." Beast Boy saw Leila flinch, and he wondered what exactly was happening. How did Leila know this creepy guy? Why was she afraid of the Titans? What exactly did she think they were going to do to her? He thought of all her actions since he had met her. She'd tried to run away when he'd first saved her in that alley—not to mention the time she _did _run away after saving that child from the robot. When they'd had their picnic, she had run at the sight of Cyborg and Raven. And she'd been avoiding him ever since. Could she really be hiding something? _"It would be better for everyone if I just disappeared. Better still if I would just die." _Leila's words seemed to echo in his head, and that terrible feeling that something was wrong spread through Beast Boy until he wasn't sure what to think or feel anymore. He looked at Leila and noticed for the first time that she was crying. The rain had slackened enough to the point where it became very apparent, and he wondered how long her tears had mingled with the droplets of rain splattered on her cheek.

"They're not at all like Master said," Leila nearly shouted, and Beast Boy was shocked to see the fire flaring in her eyes. She had always seemed so meek and sad, ever since he had met her. But now he could see genuine anger burning inside of her, like a wildfire that had started from a simple, tiny spark. "He _lied _to me! He told me they were cruel and merciless, but it's always been _Master _who is cruel! I don't care what happens to me anymore. I'd rather have the Titans lock me away and torture me than go back to that dark room and hurt more innocent people because _Master _wants me to!" Suddenly her expression changed and she gasped loudly, falling forward. Without really thinking about his actions, Beast Boy darted forward and caught her before she fell onto the pavement. Her body felt cold through—probably from the rain—and she was shaking so hard he could feel the vibrations spreading into his own arms just from holding her up.

"Tut tut," the boy said a bit sarcastically, "You should be careful. Using your energy will only make your hold on the Bond weaken faster. Really, I don't know what you were thinking. You of all people should know that you couldn't keep your curse away for long." Leila looked at the boy with anger still sparking from her eyes. Beast Boy held her up, and he could feel that most of her weight was leaning against him. Whatever this boy was talking about, whatever was making her weak, it had to be strong. Strong enough to make it impossible for Leila to stand on her own.

The boy sighed and shook his head. "You really must be in a lot of pain. I'm surprised you're holding it in. I know how it felt when I…" The boy's expression looked distant, until he shook his head and frowned. His hand strayed to his shoulder, and Beast Boy wondered what exactly this "bond" thing was, and why it would be bringing Leila pain.

"You should know by now that there are worse things than physical pain," Leila said quietly. "And if you don't, then I pity you." The boy looked at her for a long time, and then he smiled slightly.

"For a second there," he said, "I thought you were almost like… like you used to be. But a few days of freedom won't erase all those years of captivity. You should just come back now, Leila, before—"here he glanced at Beast Boy—"more people get hurt."

"What's he talking about, Leila?" Beast Boy asked, looking at her pale face and feeling her shaking. Suddenly he felt something coming from her; it was like the heat radiating from a stovetop, and it was warm enough to make Beast Boy uncomfortable standing next to her. He felt the rest of her strength leave her, and did his best to hold her up straight.

"It's already over, isn't it?" Shadow asked in a quiet, amused voice. "The Bond has broken through. I can sense it from here. And now it will slowly begin tearing you apart."

"Leila, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? I don't understand!" Beast Boy looked at her face, and he could see that she was staring forward, not really at anything in particular.

"Beast… Boy…" Leila gasped. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness and regret. "I'm so… sorry…" And with that, she collapsed entirely, and a bit of dark blood gushed from her mouth. Beast Boy's eyes widened in horror. He looked up at Shadow, who seemed less bemused now.

"What's happening?" he demanded. "What are you doing to her?"

"Nothing," Shadow replied evenly. "She did this to herself when she ran away. Now hand her over before she makes even more trouble for the people around her."

"No!" Beast Boy said forcefully. "I won't just _hand her over. _If your _Master _is the one hurting her then I won't let her go back!"

"My, my," Shadow said dryly. "Pretending to be chivalrous, are we? Well… I suppose I have no choice, then." Shadow lifted one hand, and suddenly a huge boulder tore itself out of the earth and launched itself at Beast Boy and Leila. With a gasp, Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla. Keeping Leila firmly cradled in one of his giant arms, he used the other to break the rock into a million pieces. Letting out a harsh gorilla scream, Beast Boy crouched and prepared for another attack. But then he froze, every inch of him reeling as if he'd been electrocuted. The slim form of a girl had approach to join Shadow, one hand raised. More boulders began hovering around her. Blue eyes looked gravely at Beast Boy, and he could tell that she recognized him a little. He morphed back into his human form, and with a choking sound whispered her name.

_"Terra…" _

"Beast Boy," Terra said matter-of-factly.

"You… you're…"

"Shadow taught me some tricks, so I promised I'd help him get his friend back," Terra said nonchalantly. Beast Boy could tell that she still didn't remember him entirely. Her only memories were of him trying to prove to her that she was the person he had fallen in love with so long ago.

"Terra, no," Beast Boy said more firmly. "This guy is bad news. He's hurting Leila, and the person he works for—"

"Is closer than you think." Beast Boy turned around just in time to see a fist flying at him. It connected with his nose and he heard a harsh _snap _of bone breaking as he was forced back onto the pavement. He looked up quickly, and gasped when he saw the familiar form of _Slade. _

"What are you doing with her?" Beast Boy demanded, ignoring the pain of his broken nose and the blood that was trickling down into his mouth and over his chin. Slade stooped over and grabbed Leila from the ground by the back of her shirt. She didn't react. It seemed that she really was out cold.

"Bringing her home," Slade said, his voice filled with malicious humor. "I told you to be careful who you trusted, Beast Boy."

And then something connected with Beast Boy's head. His vision spun for a second, but he did see Slade slinging Leila over his shoulder and walking away before the darkness claimed him.

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it, folks! Thank you for being so patient with me.

I know it's been forever since I updated last. Just took me some time to get over the trauma of having my stories stolen from me. Seriously, it's a horrible feeling. I can't even stand thieves anymore. Even Robin Hood and Aladin and Flynn Rider seem like jerks to me now. Sigh. Anyways, spread the word people: La Quinta Inn and Suites is the worst establishment you could possibly stay at. The hotel got us robbed (it was an inside job by any standards) and then didn't even compensate us in any way (we stayed in a room covered in fingerprinting dust for two days because we had no other options). They suck. Spread the word, spread the word!

Anyways, now for more positive topics. Thanks for reading the latest chapter of my story. I hope you liked it :D I'm planning about five more chapters before the story concludes (perhaps more or perhaps less, I'm not positive yet) so I hope you look forward to the ending :D Please comment/subscribe if you like ^v^ Have a great day!


	7. Descent

_**Teen Titans**_

**Carved Glass**

**.:Chapter Seven:.**

**Descent **

When I finally began to regain consciousness, I found that pain was searing through my body, hot and incessant. For a few moments, I struggled to even _breathe _past the agony raging through me. But slowly I began to gasp in little breaths, fighting to keep myself alive when every bit of me wanted to die. What had I to live for, anyways? Beast Boy knew the truth, undoubtedly. And I was trapped again. I could feel it, even though my eyes were tight shut against the pain. There was something cold and claustrophobic about this place, and I could feel chains binding me to a long surface by my arms, legs, and neck. Their weight was familiar and yet I wanted to cry to be feeling them again. Even the small taste of freedom had been enough to show me that I couldn't live long in captivity. I wouldn't. _Maybe I should just give up? _I thought. The question repeated itself more forcefully this time: _What have I to live for?_

"Welcome back, girl." My master's low, threatening voice barely frightened me anymore. I wondered why that was. Maybe by giving up on living, I wasn't afraid of a person constantly threatening me with death. I said nothing into the silence that followed—not that I expected he wanted me to, or thought I could. The pain was enough to keep me shut up inside for weeks. Not enough to kill me, but enough to make me wish he would. It had happened before, but never quite like this.

"You have been very naughty, haven't you?" Slade mused. "But soon I will punish that rebellious streak out of you, and you will see that there is no resisting your _Master._" I stared hard into my eyelids, willing them to open. They did, slowly. It hurt. I turned my head towards the sound of Slade's voice. I wasn't surprised to see him standing there, instead of the black droid designed to monitor the microchip in my side. He wasn't taking any chances, it seemed.

"You're… wrong…" I managed to say in a weak voice. Slade looked stunned, to say the least. And I'm sure he was; logically, I shouldn't have been able to speak for at least a week after a fit like that. The microchip that Slade had implanted in my arm was tied into my nerves, and would tear at them and render me paralyzed for any amounts of time Slade wanted. I'd never really fought against it before—it was too painful—but now it seemed that there was finally a reason to.

_"What?" _Slade asked, and I could hear a threat in the tone of his voice. But I didn't care anymore.

"I… _did _resist you… I _can… _resist. And… you… will be defeated… Just like you always… are…" I gasped. Slade slammed his hand down onto the chains that bound my neck. The pressure cut off my airflow, and I gasped and thrashed against the chains that bound me, trying to relieve the pressure.

Slade leaned in close and whispered into my ear. "I could kill you without a second thought, girl. Be careful how far you take this rebellion."

With that, he let go. I was able to breathe again, but I couldn't speak anymore. My eyelids closed, and I felt all of my strength seeping away from me. I heard Slade's footsteps as he crossed the room to where the door probably was.

"I'll come back soon," he said quietly. "And you'd better be on your best behavior when I do."

I sat in the darkness for some time after he left. Absurdly, I kept wishing that I had different powers. Not powers that would help me escape—I knew nothing could save me. But I wanted to be able to see… or speak with Beast Boy again. If I had a dying wish, that was it. _Perhaps this is for the best, though… _I thought sadly. _I don't think I could bear to see the anger and hatred in his eyes if he knew the truth._

"Beast Boy…" I forced my voice to breathe out his name one last time. Tears welled in my eyes, and it was something of a relief to feel them coursing down my cheeks. Then I closed my eyes and surrendered to the darkness.

.:~/\*/\\~:.

"We have to help her!" Beast Boy nearly screamed as he raced into Titan's Tower. He kept yelling as he ran up the stairs to the main rec room, where Cyborg was cooking something and Robin was watching TV. They turned when Beast Boy burst into the room, looking half crazed with bits of rubble and blood in his hair and a look of absolute terror in his eyes.

"Beast Boy! What's the matter?" Robin asked, leaping over the couch without a second thought.

"It's Slade!" Beast Boy said, his voice breaking. "He's kidnapped her! And Terra! And there's this other guy… We have to save her!"

"Slow down, BB," Cyborg said, setting down his apron and large oven mitts. "Who has Slade kidnapped? Terra?"

"Well, not really Terra… I think she's sort of helping him again." Admitting this would have been harder for Beast Boy if he weren't so concerned about Leila. "But he kidnapped Leila! He said that she belongs to him, that she works for him, but she said she wouldn't help him, and he was torturing her, and—"

"Where did he take her, Beast Boy?" Robin asked, laying a hand on the panicking boy's shoulder. Beast Boy calmed a little, but his eyes were still full of anxiety.

"I don't know," he whispered. "Terra hit me on the head with a rock and I blacked out."

"I think I may know." Every head turned as Raven and Starfire emerged from the sliding doors a little above them. Raven, the one who had spoken, floated towards the group with her usual impassive expression. Starfire, however, looked concerned as she raced after her.

"Raven?" Robin looked at her with one eyebrow cocked, which made one side of his mask look bigger than the other.

Raven pulled up a map of the city and studied it closely. She finally zeroed in on a part of the city that was little more than a bin of drug dealers and other even less reputable establishments. "I heard something coming from this area. I'd be willing to bet it was your friend, Leila." Raven glanced at Beast Boy, and for the first time there was some concern in her eyes.

"What did you hear?" Beast Boy asked softly.

Raven hesitated. Then, with a soft sigh, she said, "Your name."

"I'll get the T-Car ready," Cyborg said. The Titans assembled as they always did, each knowing his or her own place in their formation. Beast Boy climbed into the T-Car beside Cyborg and buckled his seatbelt. He heard the thrum of Robin's motorcycle as their leader sped out of the garage. Cyborg followed close on Robin's trail, the T-Car moving smoothly as always.

"Don't worry, Beast Boy: we'll definitely save her." Cyborg said, trying to reassure his friend. Beast Boy nodded, though he didn't _look _very reassured. He couldn't help but think that they could be too late. That even if they found Slade's lair, he might have killed Leila already. Shadow had said something like that, hadn't he? _"The bond has already broken through. And now it will tear you apart." _

"Beast Boy." Cyborg's voice brought Beast Boy's head back to the present.

"What?" Beast Boy asked sharply.

"Leila needs you right now. And she needs you to be on your game, not stuck in your head." Beast Boy opened his mouth, as if to protest. Then he closed it and nodded once, sharply. He would be anything Leila needed him to be.

He just hoped that would be enough to save her.

./~/|\\~\\.

"What's going to happen to her?" Terra asked as she sat on one of the long tables in Slade's underground layer. One leg was tucked under her and the other swung back and forth rhythmically as she watched Shadow pace back and forth. He seemed rather peeved by something, but she had no idea what and she knew her teacher well enough not to ask.

"He'll probably let her live this time," Shadow said in a low voice. "I can't be so sure he'll be merciful the next time she turns on him, though."

Terra was quiet for a moment. Then she pushed some of her hair out of her eyes and cocked her head, staring at Shadow curiously. "So she's done this sort of thing before?"

"More times than I care to remember," Shadow sighed, finally stopping his pacing. "She's always been infuriatingly stubborn. She never considers what others go through to make sure she's safe. Every time an opportunity knocks, she uses it to attempt to get herself killed again!"

"That must be frustrating," Terra said.

"You have _no _idea!" Shadow almost shouted. Terra continued to just stare at him, bouncing her leg to some internal beat, her thoughts working like clocks, each gear causing another to move.

"You care for her," she said finally. Shadow froze, staring ahead with his back to Terra. She could see the muscles stiffening in his shoulders and his fingers curling up into fists.

"What makes you say that?" Shadow asked in a low voice.

"Because despite what you make yourself appear to be, I can see that you're not a bad person. Not like this _Master _of yours," Terra said frankly. "And if I had known he'd be such a jerk I probably wouldn't have helped you, regardless of how desperately you needed it." Shadow rounded on her.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"You couldn't have brought her in alone because you hate for her to be in _his _control," Terra said. "I can see right through you. You don't dare to stand up to this Slade guy, and yet you hate following him."

Shadow stood facing Terra for a few moments, looking absolutely stunned. Terra guessed that in some ways he hadn't even examined himself closely enough to notice some of the things she'd pointed out. But at the same time she knew he understood. With his eyes turned inwards, he couldn't help but notice what she was talking about. Finally he lowered his gaze and she could see the fight leaving him entirely.

"She's…" He took a deep breath.

"She's my sister."

|\/|

Slade slammed his fist down on the table. Surrounded by images of the park and how Leila had stood up to Shadow—and to _him _indirectly—he could see that his plans were once again falling apart. Why was it that every time he took on an apprentice they turned on him? He supposed he should have expected this after the whole Terra mishap. He'd have rather left it alone, but the girl's powers were… interesting, to say the least. He could use them, if only she'd cooperate.

But maybe she only needed the proper incentive. He'd erased most of her memories, hoping that having no life apart from one of imprisonment would make her less likely to turn against it. She'd always been stubborn, though. But perhaps that was the key to her obedience. Just as she'd stubbornly hold onto her silly notions of freedom, she would certainly fight to defend, just as her brother had done ever since he'd found the two of them. Slade looked at his gloved hand and remembered that night. There were few evil deeds that made him feel so excited, so powerful, and so… _evil. _He was a sociopath who barely felt remorse for even the worst act of villainy he'd performed. But that had been different, and he'd felt that from the start. Curling his fingers into a fist, Slade stared forward at the screens that now were showing a very different scene. He crossed the room and began pressing a series of buttons. The black droid he'd designed to monitor the girl plugged it at his command and began downloading all the information he fed into it. Then he led the droid through the dark catacombs of his lair. The room he'd locked the girl in was small and bare, with monitoring stations and a simple table where the girl was strapped in. She had apparently fainted again, which was just fine with him. It would be easier to insert the memories back into her head when she was asleep. Slade stared down at the girl's face. It was a little less pale than usual, but that was to be expected after living outdoors for the first time in years. Her dark hair fell around her face in silken strands. If Slade had any appreciation for beauty, he might have thought her pretty in her own way. But he didn't see anything particularly beautiful when he looked at the girl. All he saw was a tool, a weapon to be used for his own gain.

Slade leaned down and whispered into the girl's ear as the droid approached and slipped a needle into the girl's spine, just at the base of the neck. "I think it's time I show you some _incentive _for being obedient."

The memories began flooding the girl's mind. Slade could see it by the way veins began showing in her wrists and temples. Her shoulders moved ever so slightly, but she was still too weak to thrash the way she would have if she had been less worn down. Her brows furrowed, and her lips turned down. Slade smiled maliciously as he began crossing the room again.

"You'll wish you had never disobeyed to begin with," he chuckled. "Now that the truth is streaming through your mind, you'll know what you are. And you'll know why you can never escape me."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading the newest chapter. I'm pretty surprised at how quickly I wrote this o,o I just started writing this morning and chugged away until I finished. And I guess it IS shorter than most of my chapters, but I sort of felt there was a necessary order to how things went in this chapter. Anywho, I hope you all like it :D Please review/comment/fave if you please! ^v^ I love hearing what you all think of how the story is progressing. Thanks!

-LR


	8. The Forgotten Past

_**Teen Titans**_

**Carved Glass**

**.:Chapter Eight:.**

**The Forgotten Past**

_The rundown shack had been built against a smelly, dirty building where mommy worked. We were never to go there. I remembered that. It had been deeply engrained in our minds: that place was bad. People were always in it, always laughing in a way that didn't make me feel nice, and mommy always cried when she came home late at night, smelling like the building and like smoke and looking broken and sad. Brother and I tried to comfort her, and she would wrap her arms around us and tell us that we were the only things she loved, the only things worth living for. Mommy wanted us to go to school, wanted us to be like other kids. But we couldn't afford new clothes, and mommy couldn't take us to the school that was at least twenty minutes away from the shack we lived in. She had to work. That's why brother and I decided to take ourselves to school. That would make mommy happy, and then she wouldn't have to be sad about us anymore. The path to the school was long and we got tired. Brother made all the shadows go away. He always did that sort of thing for me in our little shack. The shadows were scary, but brother always said they ran away when you wished for it hard enough. There were a few cars driving on the road, and brother and I wondered if one of them could take us to school. But mommy had always said not to talk to strangers, so we kept walking._

_ We got pretty lost. My feet hurt, and brother held my hand to keep me from tripping. I stared up at him and wondered when we would get to school. "Do you know the way?" I asked. "Not really," he replied. I was worried. "What if mommy comes home and sees we're gone?" I asked. "I don't know," he replied. My brother didn't know a lot. _

_ It was nearly dark when we finally got somewhere. But this somewhere was not school. It was a beautiful place, filled with lights and pretty buildings—not the shacks and smelly buildings we were used to. The cars were not as scary, and all the buildings had big windows and when we looked through them we saw beautiful things. "Is this heaven?" I asked my brother. "I don't know," he replied. We kept walking, and then we heard a big sound. I guess I'd heard it before, but not quite like that. It wasn't a typical siren, like those ambulances that mommy talked about. It was sharper, with a dinging to it. We looked around and saw that one of the big glass windows had been broken up. Someone was trying to leave with big bags. "Is he a thief?" my brother asked. "I think so," I replied. I stared at him as he looked over his shoulder. Then I reached out and said, "Stop!" He seemed to hit a wall, and looked about like he was frightened. Then someone came out of the broken windows. A tall man all dressed in black. He didn't look at us, only took the bad guy back towards the broken window. I wondered if he was a cop. Mommy said cops could be mean. "We should leave," I said._

_ "I'll take you home," said a voice. We turned and saw a man with a pretty face, but I thought he was scary. His eyes were. But brother didn't seem to think so._

_ "We live in the shack next to the hotel," he said. _

_ "Why don't I take you two in my car?" the man asked. He guided us to a dark vehicle and we drove the way brother and I had come. The man said his name was Mr. Black, and he loved helping kids like us. I was scared of him, but brother made the shadows go away and it wasn't so bad. Mr. Black brought us to a place we knew, and we told him where we lived from there. He stopped the car outside the big smelly building we lived next to and then he turned to me._

_ "Would you like a goodbye present, little girl?" he asked. I looked at my brother and he nodded._

_ "Yes, please?" I said timidly._

_ "Hold out your hand," the man said. I obeyed, and he set a pretty necklace into it that shimmered._

_ "Oh!" I exclaimed. "Thank you!" _

_ "You're welcome. Now run along. I'm sure your mother must be worried about you." We got out of the car and ran to the house. Mommy wasn't there, but she came a few hours later and yelled at us for leaving. I showed her the pretty necklace the stranger gave me. She told me not to talk to strangers again._

_ We got to go to school. Mommy gave us directions, and we walked early every morning. Mommy knew we wanted to go, even when all the kids always laughed at us. They called us mean names and some of them did mean things like spit on us or throw food at us during lunch. But we didn't mind. We wanted to make mommy proud. So we worked really hard. Brother got really good at math, and I liked reading. Mommy really loved when I would read to her. "I'm so glad," she said to us. "So glad." _

_ Years passed by, and brother and I found that we were not so normal. No matter how much I wished, I couldn't move shadows like my brother could. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make things _change _the way I could. Not to mention we never met anyone else who could do either of those things. We wanted to learn how to use these strange abilities—mommy called them "gifts." We wanted to help people. But that was never to be. _

_ I was fourteen when he returned. But this time Mr. Black looked different. _

_ "I see you still have my necklace," he said, and I wished at that moment that I had thrown it out when we'd left our shack next to the hotel behind in favor of a small apartment nearer our high school._

_ "Yes," I said finally. _

_ "Might I come in?" Mr. Black asked. I didn't say anything, but then my mother came and the man explained who he was. She thanked him for helping her children and asked what he wanted with them. Then Mr. Black told her that he was interested in what they could do. I was shocked that he knew about my powers. But then… I supposed he _did _see me use them on the bank robber, back when even I didn't understand what I could do. My mother told him that we weren't interested, even though I really was. I wanted to be able to help people. Mr. Black said he would be back. Mommy was scared, and told me that Mr. Black was not a good person. We packed up and moved to another city, someplace far away from Gotham, the city we grew up in. We spent the next couple of years on the run. But fate caught up to us._

_ The hotel room was covered in blood. My mother was on the floor, stretched out with a terrible wound in her side. But she wouldn't die. We knew she wouldn't. Mommy was like us; she was special. We'd seen her get beaten up, and get shot, and be thrown off buildings. People had tried to hurt her all her life, but she never died. But I had never seen so much blood before. Never been so afraid before. I crouched beside my mother and shook her, calling her name and praying that she was okay. I'd never thought she could die, but staring at all the blood, I began to wonder._

_ "You see now, don't you?" Mr. Black said. "You can't fight it. Come with me, and I won't kill your mother. I could, you know. I know how I could. Has anyone else made her bleed like this?" _

_ And the answer was no. No one had ever made mother bleed before. At least not like this._

_ "Don't hurt my mother!" my brother screamed, launching himself at Mr. Black. I knew enough about my powers then to help him, but Mr. Black was too well trained, and we were no match for him. He shoved my brother into the wall and then came towards me. Taking me by my arm, he hauled me across the room towards the door._

_ "No!" my brother shouted. "Laura!" I looked over my shoulder at him, even though it hurt to strain against Mr. Black's hold on my arm. My brother was racing towards us. I could see blood on his lip—he'd probably bitten his tongue when Mr. Black had shoved him into the wall. Suddenly Mr. Black threw me to the ground and I heard a distinct _click _above my head. The room froze for a moment. My brother stared at Mr. Black, knowing that if he made a wrong move I'd have a bullet in my head. It was odd how I didn't really fear dying in that moment. All I wanted was for my brother and my mother to be safe. I didn't dare look up from where I sat, my cheek resting against the ground. My stomach was twisted up into knots, and I felt like I was going to be sick. _Maybe I should puke on this jerk's shoes before I die. _I thought mutinously, but I was too genuinely ill to be able to entertain a thought like that for very long. I heard my brother say something in a low voice, and then Mr. Black replied in a voice that was scarily pleased. Then I felt something hard hit my head and the world became nothing but black. _

I knew the rest, I suppose. I woke up in a dark dungeon cell with no memory of who I was or what had happened to me. And now that my memories had returned, I could feel questions pouring into my mind. My entire body was trembling, and I felt that same aching sickness that I had when Mr. Black—Slade, as I knew him now—had taken us away. I remembered my mother's eyes, empty as if she were dead. I'd seen her look like that before, but it had been frightening all the same. Was she still alive somewhere? And what about my brother? I thought of his dark hair and eyes, so unlike mine. He took after his unknown father, my mother had always said. I took after my mom. I was glad of that. It was a bit odd to be glad of anything, shut up in a prison cell with my arms and legs tied down and memories being fed into me like drugs. But I knew they were true memories and not some of the tricks that Slade seemed so fond of. I had a sense of… _remembrance, _and I knew that no machine could fabricate a feeling like that. Even so, it seemed altogether strange to be thinking of these things. I hadn't remembered anything for a long time. And then there was that one memory… My name. My _true _name. _Laura. _Amusing how it _almost_ sounded like "Leila", the name I'd chosen for myself. I clung to that memory more than the others. It seemed to give me a little strength. A little piece of the self I'd lost to Slade and his evil plots. Laura. The person I _should _have been.

I'm not sure how long I sat in the darkness, feeling both burdened and freed by the streams of memories that kept flooding into my mind even after the droid had left the room. It seemed that remembering my name and the faces of my brother and mother had opened the gateway to the rest of my memories. I would have thought they'd disappeared, but there they were only a little worse for wear. I wished I could talk to my brother or my mother. I wished I could go back to that time, before the pain. Before Slade. Even before Beast Boy, who had become both my sun and my sin. He knew now. He knew that I was a traitor, and he wouldn't forgive me for that. I had been naïve to allow myself even to entertain the thought that he'd be there for me when I was… well, what I was. Still… a part of me wanted to hope that he would be coming for me. That he and his friends would burst through the door and cut my chains and free me. That Beast Boy would take me in his arms and tell me that everything would be all right. I felt something cold on my face, and realized that I still had enough of a heart left amongst all the broken pieces to be crying. Crying because I had betrayed Beast Boy. Crying because I no longer had my family. Crying because every hope I had—hope of seeing Beast Boy once more, hope of talking with my mother and brother, hope to be free once and for all—all seemed too impossible.

I'm not sure how much time had passed—maybe a few hours, maybe a few days? It was hard to say. I still felt so weak. The door opened. Was that sound real or one of the dozens of memories flitting about in my head? I felt something rubbing my wrists, then my ankles—the chains? Their weight lifted suddenly, and I felt warm arms closing around me.

"Laura…" A soft breath in my ear said. It was a familiar voice, and yet not familiar. Too deep. Too rough. But the gentle embrace was enough to calm me. And I knew, suddenly, who this was. Both who he had been, and who he had become—all because of me, probably.

"Nathan…" I murmured softly, and I wasn't sure he could hear my weak voice. But then I felt him stiffen, and I knew he _had _heard.

"You… Laura, you…?"

"I remember." The two words seemed to be having an odd effect on my brother. His body shook, but I could hear the relief in his deep sigh. And when I managed to open my eyes a little, I saw tears gleaming in his dark eyes.

"Oh, Laura." Nathan nearly choked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of this. I can't hide anymore. I can't hide behind _his _mask."

"I know," I managed to say. I wished I could lift my hand and stroke his black hair, but I was already using up so much strength just talking. So I forced myself to open my eyes fully, even though the effort hurt. I looked him in the eyes and tried to smile. "You should be free, Nathan." I reached up and touched his shoulder. He gasped softly. I'm not really sure what happened, then, but it felt like a dream afterwards. My powers had never been the most _precise _in nature, but at that moment I could just _feel _what I needed to do. The nerves in my brother's shoulder had tightened and grown around the microchip, so it was difficult to fish it out, but just when I thought I couldn't go on anymore, I felt a small, light weight in my hand and knew that it was out. My brother was free. I wanted to say something. To tell him to go and be free—for both of us. I wanted to tell him to find mother and tell her that we both loved her. That we both never lost our desire to do something good with the gifts we'd been given. That we wanted nothing more than to be like Beast Boy—and the Titans.

_Heroes_.

But there was nothing left in me. I'd used up all the energy I had, and the pain was too much. So I took one last breath, rested my head back against the cold table, closed my eyes, and went into my last sleep. It wasn't so scary, all things considered. I was just falling asleep, and while I knew I would never wake up, that didn't seem to matter to me. I felt that with my last action—sacrificing what little strength I had left for my brother—I had redeemed myself after being used by Slade for evil for so long. I could die now knowing that I had at least done my mother proud. And Beast Boy… Would he forgive me, after all? I hoped he would. As my consciousness faded into some darkness that seemed wider, _emptier _than any I had known before, I felt one last thought weave its way back to the self I was leaving behind:

_I will always love you, Beast Boy. Forgive me._

./~.:.~\\.

Something was wrong. Sensors beeped and the droid made a soft whining sound and lights flashed—it was all a bit too much to take in at first. Slade moved towards the dozens of screens he'd set up and began typing. One of the screens showed the room where the girl was being kept. She was still there—that was good—but her chains had been removed and she was lying very still, very white. Rage seemed to consume him for a moment. He _hated _losing. How _dare _that little girl take the easy way out? If she weren't already dead—and he suspected that she was, based on the droid's schizophrenic behavior—he would go and kill her himself. Slade pressed the _off _button on her screen. His attention was drawn to the next problem, and this one drew all of his attention right away. His barrier sensor had picked up the very presences he had most wanted to keep away at that moment. Slade called for his apprentice, knowing that he must take action as soon as possible. It was a longer wait than usual. But Shadow finally came, dressed all in black with half of his face covered.

"Master?" he asked in a low voice. There was something different about him, but Slade was too distracted by his rage to think much of it.

"The Titans are at the edge of these tunnels," Slade said, working hard to conceal the fury in his voice. "Go and _destroy _them."

"Yes, Master." Shadow moved away slowly, but Slade turned away and didn't notice the anger or the pain in his apprentice's demeanor. After a few minutes of watching his screens, Slade turned to the black droid.

"Go and _remove _the device," he hissed. "And deal with the girl." The droid beeped twice, to announce that it had received its orders, and then moved off into the labyrinths of Slade's lair. Then Slade turned to the screen again. The Titans were coming—how they knew where to look and why exactly they were attacking now was a mystery. Maybe the little girl told them of his lair? But that seemed unlikely. Regardless, Slade knew that Shadow would be able to stop them. And he would, since he didn't know that his sister—Slade's leverage over him—was dead. Slade stared hard at the screens, his attention consumed by the Titans and his hatred for them. At that moment, he was at his most dangerous and yet most _vulnerable_ state. His anger made him reckless, which could lead to his downfall—as it had before. Slade clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The Titans would not interfere this time. He would never let them.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading the latest chapter of my story. This was a really heavy one to write. I seriously got emotional at least three times while I was writing it (it's a bit hard to write when you're choking back tears ,). Sometimes you just get really attached to your characters and it hurts to lose them or to make them suffer. But sometimes you must do what it best for the story. With that, I thank you for reading and hope you were as emotionally touched by reading this chapter as I was by writing it. Please leave a review/comment and let me know what you thought of it. Thanks.

-LR


	9. Slade's Apprentice

_**Teen Titans**_

**Carved Glass**

**.:Chapter Nine:.**

**Slade's Apprentice**

The slums of the city passed by in a blur as Cyborg's car swerved to follow the dark form of Raven flying overhead. Beast Boy leaned into every turn and tried not to look as unsettled as he felt. Something was wrong. He couldn't shake the feeling. When he looked up he could see that Raven was moving more slowly, and yet she didn't seem to be _faltering. _She knew where they were going, but perhaps she knew what Beast Boy was beginning to feel deep in the pit of his stomach.

_They were too late._

Suddenly a loud crash echoed through the streets. Cyborg pulled the car over and the two Titans leaped from it, prepared for anything. The boy that had appeared before—Shadow, Beast Boy recalled—had somehow managed to wreck Robin's motorcycle. Robin stood facing him, flanked by Raven and Starfire. Beast Boy and Cyborg quickly joined them, the former thinking that he'd like to claw Shadow's facemask off for what he'd done to Leila. But Beast Boy sensed there was something… _off _about Shadow. He wasn't acting all high and mighty, not grinning, not looking confident or skeptical. There was nothing left of the person Beast Boy had seen in the park. This Shadow looked sad and just _tired. _

"So," he said dully. "You're here."

"We've come for Leila," Beast Boy said, crouched and ready to spring if Shadow attacked.

"Well, you sure are different than I thought you'd be," Shadow mused. He looked at them with a solemn sort of expression. That look made Beast Boy feel even more anxious. They had to find her. Who knew what Slade was doing to her? "Do you truly care about her?"

The question caught Beast Boy off guard. "Of course," he said. Shadow looked at him and then shook his head, slowly.

"Then I'll take you to her. We'll only have a few minutes before Slade catches on, but that will be enough time for you to see. Come on." Shadow turned and jumped down from the car he'd been standing on.

Robin spoke at last, taking charge as he always did. "Why should we trust you?"

Shadow glanced at them. "What other choice do you have?" he asked.

"Come on," Beast Boy said, racing after Shadow. The other Titans followed him, each with his or her own thoughts on their mission. But it was clear that Beast Boy wouldn't give up, and his friends planned to stand by him—especially, as Raven sensed, if their endeavor would have a less-than-happy ending.

Shadow led them through a narrow collection of alleyways, through a few abandoned buildings, and down some cellar stairs that opened into a dark series of tunnels that no doubt ran beneath the city. That was definitely Slade's style. Beast Boy followed Shadow closely in the darkness, his heart pounding. The eeriness of the tunnels was weighing on all of them, and Beast Boy couldn't help but wonder what it had been like for Leila to _live _here. _That must have been horrible. _Beast Boy shook his head and tried to concentrate. Leila needed him now more than ever, he knew that much. And he wouldn't let her down—not like he had before.

"How much farther?" Robin's voice echoed off of the dark walls. They were deep underground, and Beast Boy got that sense of being compressed that reminded him of chasing after Terra long ago.

"Not far," Shadow replied. He led them through a series of twists and turns and then to a single iron door that had no handle. Shadow pressed a few buttons on the door's surface and then the door swung open. Beast Boy was close on his heels as they entered the room, so he was partner to Shadow's surprise when they found nothing but a simple, empty square room.

"No," Shadow breathed, darting forwards to a bare table where some chains lay scattered about. He grabbed them and stared at them, as if they held some secret he wanted desperately to know.

"What's going on?" Cyborg asked.

"He knows already," Shadow murmured. Beast Boy looked at him closely. Then he slowly began to understand.

"Something bad has happened," he said in a low voice. Shadow looked at him, and he thought he'd never seen eyes as sad as the ones that stared at him hopelessly.

"I had hoped that you could help her," Shadow whispered, "That it really wasn't too late. But Slade knows now, and he's probably disposed of her already."

"What do you mean by this 'disposed of?'" Starfire asked. Shadow's hands curled tightly around the chains until his knuckles turned white. He stared at them blankly, as if at a loss what to do with himself.

"She's gone now," he said finally, sounding very distant.

"Gone?" Beast Boy echoed. That horrible feeling he'd had came back. Were they really too late?

"She used the last of her strength to save me," Shadow murmured. "Figures that I'd spend all this time protecting her and I'm the reason she's gone."

Beast Boy suddenly felt very angry—and sad, too. But he was angry at Shadow for giving up. There was something about all this that just didn't feel right to him. He turned to Robin.

"You can go find Slade," he said. "I'm going to look for Leila."

There was a tense moment of silence. Everyone in the room understood now that it was too late to save her. But the Titans also knew that their friend wouldn't give up even then. So Robin put his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, looked him in the eye, and said, "Do what you have to, Beast Boy." Then, beckoning to the other Titans, he said, "Titans, let's go!" Beast Boy watched them leave. Shadow stared after them, a bit stunned. Then he moved after them, leaving Beast Boy alone in the dimly lit room. He morphed into a bloodhound and began sniffing about. It only took a few minutes of sniffing to pick up on the trail. Beast Boy raced into the tunnels, following the scent. His paws pattered against the rough ground loudly, echoing through the tunnels and filling him with a greater sense of urgency. The smell came to him more easily with every step—he knew he was getting close. Beast Boy's lips curled back and he let out a guttural growl. He saw a door up ahead and knew she was behind it. He had to get to her. He had to find her, no matter what. Morphing once more, Beast Boy felt his body stretch and solidify until he was no longer a dog but a huge rhino charging towards the door. He barreled through it and slid to a stop. The first sight that met his eyes seemed to freeze his insides.

It was blood.

\\:|~||~|:/

Shadow and the Titans made their way through the dark labyrinths that made up Slade's lair. They were quiet as they went; Shadow led the Titans through the winding passages, his thoughts bent on revenge. He had tried to force away all of his emotions for so long—and a part of him had thought he'd succeeded—but now they returned to him in full force, driving him forward. He couldn't bear the thought of Slade getting out of this without a scratch when his sister had paid the highest price. Where was the justice in that?

"It's just ahead," Shadow said over his shoulder to Robin, who was running just behind him. The masked hero nodded once, sharply, and pulled out one of his many weapons. Shadow felt the press of darkness around them, but instead of being frightened by it he was comforted. It was the darkness that had always given him strength. He knew that it in and of itself was not something he should fear.

The group came up to the great iron doors that let into Slade's central command chamber. Cyborg brushed past them all with Starfire rising just above his shoulder. Their fists pounded into the door at the same time, sending it flying into the dimly lit room. Five teenagers entered, each ready to fight with everything they had. Across from them, sitting on a slim black chair, was Slade.

"Welcome, Titans," he said in a low voice. "I probably should be surprised that you got here so quickly. But it seems that yet again my luck with apprentices has failed."

"You and I both know I have no reason to serve you any longer," Shadow said through gritted teeth.

"That much is true," Slade responded. "But what else will you do, then? No one else would accept you, would they? Not after all of the things that you've done." Slade's words sank into Shadow's heart like heavy stones. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. His voice was trapped inside by the burden of his thoughts, all of which told him that Slade was right; no one would ever love him now that Laura was gone.

But that didn't mean that he couldn't do the right thing. Even if no one forgave him for the things he did while working for Slade, Shadow would still fight his old master. For Laura. For himself. For their mother. The loneliness that had consumed him since his sister's death was nothing compared to the rage he felt towards the man that brought about her end.

"You should know better than that, Slade," a cool voice said, and Shadow turned and started in surprise when he saw Terra leaning in the doorway behind him. Her blue eyes were narrowed and her arms were crossed over her chest. The Titans seemed as shocked as Shadow did to see her there.

"Terra, how nice to see you again," Slade murmured, and everyone in the room felt that what he meant was that it was _not _nice to see her again.

"Friends never give up on friends, no matter what," Terra said, ignoring Slade and looking at the Titans with a solemn sort of expression on her face, like she was thinking. Then she turned to Shadow and smiled slightly. "And friends are always there for each other."

"This is all so _touching."_ Slade pushed himself up off of his chair. "But I think it's time we got down to business, hmm?" The villain pressed a few buttons and the huge garage doors to the Titans' left and right opened, revealing some of Slade's ninja droids.

"Titans, go!" Robin called, and immediately the six teenagers spread out, each tackling their own group of opponents. Robin, though, forced his way straight into the fray, his ultimate goal the same as always: Slade.

Shadow attached his shadow to one of the droid's and flung it around forcefully, smiling in grim satisfaction as he heard the _crunch _of machinery being slammed together. He saw Terra crushing some of the droid minions with large stones. Starfire and Raven were flying in a tight circle, using their powers to take out any droids in Robin's way. Cyborg took out a few droids by punching them before using his arm to hit them with his sonic blast. Shadow turned his attention back to his own fight. The room was packed with darkness, which gave him control of all the droids. But the droids seemed to be figuring out his patterns, and would move out of the way whenever he tried to attach his shadows to them. Even so, Shadow had little trouble catching them and sending them flying into the walls and ceilings. If they got too close, he would send his fist into their faces. The feeling of metal and microchips breaking against his knuckles seemed to energize him, fueling the anger burning inside. _We have the upper hand. _Shadow thought confidently. But when he turned and saw Robin was calling up to Starfire and Raven, his confidence wavered. It took Shadow a few moments of intense concentration before he finally heard what the leader of the Titans was saying: _"_Slade escaped, and he's set this place to _self destruct!" _

\||\\|||/||/

The chamber Beast Boy had erupted into was like a hospital room, with monitors and a simple operation table and lots of sharp objects. A large black robot was positioned over the table, holding instruments covered with more blood. It backed away when Beast Boy entered, revealing the still form of Leila on the operation table.

Wires had been threaded into her skin with needles, and blood covered the simple white sheet covering her body. Her face was pale and still, her hair spread out around her like dark silk ribbons. She looked like Snow White, dead and pale but still beautiful somehow. Beast Boy felt his animal form melt away, revealing his own small self. And he did feel so small and powerless. He really was too late. Any hope he'd had of saving her was gone. Still. He couldn't leave her.

Beast Boy crossed the room and gently wrapped his arm under Leila's shoulder, lifting her so that her pale face leaned towards him. Tears filled his eyes as he stared down at her face.

_"The operation is complete."_ Beast Boy jumped and turned to see that the robot had spoken to him. It held up a bloody piece of metal—a sort of computer chip. Looking back at Leila, Beast Boy noticed that all of the blood came from a spot in her side. He touched her cheek gently, sighing. All of his anger had dissolved into a mind-numbing sadness. All he wanted to do was stare at her forever, but he knew that the other Titans would need his help. Beast Boy buried his face in the crook of her neck, feeling his body shaking but knowing that he would need to go soon. But he knew that once he let go, that would be the end. And he couldn't bear to say goodbye to her. Leila was the first person since Terra he had opened up to, the first to heal that hole in his heart. And she'd more than filled it. She had made him feel _new _again. Better. And now she was gone.

_Thump, thump, thump… _The soft pulse moved against his skin, faint but distinct. Beast Boy froze. He tucked his arms more protectively around Leila's small body, listening and hoping despite himself. But there it was again, that soft _thump _of a heart accompanying his own. He looked down at Leila and noticed that her skin was less pale than it had been.

_"The operation is successful," _the robot droned. Beast Boy stared at Leila's face, feeling his heartbeat stutter in his chest when her lips parted slightly and she let out a low, soft breath. Letting out a strangled cry of relief, Beast Boy hugged her to him again and tried not to cry anymore. There was no reason to cry now. Leila had come back to him. She would be okay. Beast Boy gently set her back onto the table, brushing her hair back from her face.

"Can she be moved?" he asked the robot, wondering if it would respond.

_"The operation is complete. Her vital organs have restarted and she is stable." _The robot crossed to one of the monitors and plugged something into one of the keypads. The wires began recoiling, the needles letting out a hiss as they slipped out of Leila's skin. The robot moved over to the table and began patching all the little puncture holes, working with neat, precise movements. Then it backed away and beeped twice. _"Task completed. The girl is taken care of and the device has been removed." _

"Good work," Beast Boy said, not really sure if the robot understood but feeling grateful towards it anyways. It beeped twice and then seemed to shut itself off. Beast Boy gently slipped his arms under Leila's body, one beneath her shoulders and the other beneath her knees. She was still wearing her tattered jeans, but the robot had removed the rest of her clothing for whatever operation it had preformed. Beast Boy managed to tuck the white sheet carefully around her body so that it covered her up and then he ran out of the room, back the way he had come. His priority at that moment was getting her to a safe place. And then he'd come back.

He had a score to settle with Slade.

* * *

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading the latest chapter of Carved Glass! :) I am about to start my Western Civ class, so I am in a rush (haha). But I hope that you enjoy and that you're intrigued with the way the story is progressing. Honestly, I thought the next chapter would be the last one, but now I'm not sure, since this chapter is shorter than I thought it would be (I just felt it should end here, and after much deliberation I decided it was where I'd cut it off). So the next chapter may or most likely may not be the last chapter. We'll see =v= Thanks!

-Lion


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